Fall in the Fires,Rise from the Ashes
by Wild Innocence
Summary: The abbey sure knows how to break the spirits of young minds but with a little help from true friends,it's not very hard to fight and survive. Follow the group of familiar Russians as they stick together and support each other through the darkness until a spark of hope shines for life. My other long beyblade fic with Kai centric!
1. Spark

_**Hello people. Just a new fic to get it out of my head. Read and review please and if possible,then enjoy! **_

_**Fall in the Fires,Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 1: Spark.**_

"Help me Dranzer...I'm so cold..." A young boy about the age of five was shivering uncontrollably in a dark cell. The surroundings were shabby and held a strange tingling sensation...a mysterious feeling...

The boy looked up with tear stained face as he fearfully glanced at the drops of blood around him...his blood... "Why grandfather...I...I didn't do anything wrong...I..." He began to sob again...as his mind was haunted with memories...

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_WELL..." Thundered a gray haired man, "How pathetic you are...you even killed your parents and here you are...daring to look me in the eyes..."_

_The sentence had set the boy off...the young figure had tried to fight back the blows he had gotten as a reward for holding the hand of his grandfather and look up at him with pleading eyes,silently asking him not to leave him alone..._

"_I didn't...I didn't...I'd never...I loved them..." The boys breath hitched at the mention of word 'kill'._

"_Don't forget that I have the evidence,boy...are you denying me...?" The elder smirked as the child choked on a sob. Blackmailing his grandson was so easy in this age._

"_I dare..." The boy had said this more to himself than to the other person present in the room but unfortunately,his voice was heard by the other._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

And now here he was...hugging his knees and crying quietly at his fate. He hadn't killed anyone...he was innocent...so why was every one he met blaming him...?

He had seen his grandfather killing his father...He had seen his mother smiling at him as she quickly took off her white scarf to wrap it around the boy's shaking frame as she was stabbed right through her heart by that evil man...He had seen the gun pointed at him and a gruff voice,telling him..no...commanding him to move...He had seen he arrogance in those steel eyes as he had tried to snatch the gun and run away...He had seen so much that day...He had seen storms...shaking him to the core...he had seen darkness swallowing him...

A guard strode towards the lone cell before growling, "Move...you're going to stay in another room...Master Boris's orders." He proceeded to open the barred door of the small space and the boy struggled to get up without limping. His grandfather had pushed him in the car after a purple-haired man and he had hit his ankle pretty hard against the door stand. Aside from that...his breathing was still out of control due to crying so much as he rubbed his crimson eyes to clear the translucent wall of tears which blurred his vision every now and then.

Stumbling due to the sharp,fiery pain in his ankle,he tried to follow the guard forcing himself not to lash out on him...He was like that...putting up a fight against anyone he didn't like...not caring about the outcome...but in this place...the result was much more worse...the punishments were horrid and the boy shuddered. He hadn't encountered any punishment yet...maybe because of the fact that he had gotten here two days before and no one had met him or spoken to him.

The guard pushed the small child into another room and he stumbled before hitting the frame of a single bed in front of him. A whimper of pain escaped the boy as the sharp edge of a broken post cut his arm before the guard slammed the door shut,locking it in the process.

The dual-haired boy looked around at his new surroundings with wide crimson eyes. There were four single beds made,present in a row. There was no window in the room and in one corner of the room was a cupboard with drawers.

Nervous to do anything,the boy pulled himself up and dragged his feet reaching the farthest corner,away from the door. Sitting on the floor and hugging his knees,he buried his head as sobs racked his frame once more.

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"We'll have to babysit a new-comer." A lilac haired boy exclaimed,grumbling.

"Don't say that Bryan. Who knows,who's gonna be our new room-mate." A taller blond replied.

"But Spencer,what if that new kid tries to..."

"Don't start Tala..." Spencer stopped the red haired shorter boy with a bemused expression.

"Hmph...fine..." Tala groaned, "But I still wonder what would he be like."

"Like you would have never seen before!" Bryan told the red head.

The three boys were heading back to their room after a long day of training. As the guard opened the door,all three entered and the door was locked behind them.

"Um..." Tala looked at the small stains of blood on the floor awkwardly.

Bryan was looking at the shaking and sobbing figure in the far corner...well as much far as they could get with the small area of their room, "Look..." He pointed.

Before anyone could say or do anything,Tala went to the small frame and sat beside him,watching him with his intense ice blue eyes, "Hey new boy..." The red head tried to get the attention of the boy who looked like he was of the same age as the red head.

Bryan shook his head, "Is that your way of addressing some one Tals?"

Tala glared at the lilac haired boy, "Shut it Bry...how else am I supposed to know his name?"

"You could just ask..." Spencer told him.

The blue haired boy still didn't stop. Tala stared at him for a moment,then finally got an idea. The boy was sad...and Tala knew what to do when some one was sad...so he did it. Reaching forward,the red head grabbed the boys shoulders before pulling him into a tight hug. The young boy was startled by the sudden act but reacted nonetheless by trying to get out of the grip with tightened as much as he struggled,making it hard for him to even breathe.

"Leave me alone." The boy's words were muffled as he tried his hardest to get out of this new action with had caught him off guard.

"Why are you crying?" Tala countered,still not letting go. Either the boy was exhausted or Tala had found a new strength because he was still embracing the new boy tightly.

"Let go..." The answer was followed by sobs as the young boy still struggled to push the red head away.

"Keep it down,will ya...or do you want to be punished...?" Bryan glanced at the door before looking at the new kid.

"I wont let you go unless you tell me what's wrong." Tala told the boy in his arms defiantly whose struggles were getting less and less noticeable by every passing minute.

Bryan and Spencer took a step forward too,coming to kneel in front of the two young boys. In a sense,they had cornered the new boy with their formation.

"Okay Tala...loose up a bit...he can't breathe." Spencer looked at the red head who loosened his grip reluctantly. Bryan peered at the boys face. He had so unusual features. Four cobalt blue triangles were present on his cheeks...crimson eyes were filled with pain and his dual-colored hair were messy due to struggling so much.

"So...what's your name?" Tala asked again.

"Kai." The boy's voice was hoarse.

"So Kai...why are you crying?" Tala questioned again. His arm was still present around the boy's shoulders comfortingly.

"Nothing." Kai replied before rubbing his eyes to get rid of tears, "I'm fine."

"Yeah right." Bryan rolled his eyes.

Spencer looked at him with concern, "Is that your blood on the floor?"

Kai looked at the crimson stains fearfully. Blood...he was scared of blood now...just because because of that day...the day which caused him to end up in this abbey for endless pain and traumatized him to no extent. The three boys caught his look and looked at him with sympathy.

"Are you okay?" This time,it was Bryan. He hated to see some one in pain. Kai shook his head but it was clear that he was not telling the truth. The blood stains on his shirt betrayed him.

Tala looked at the blood on his sleeve. It must have appeared when he hugged the boy. The crimson-eyed boy held his arm firmly,not letting anyone see it but they had caught a glimpse of red appearing under his hand.

"Come on...let us have a look...we're only trying to help you." Spencer tried to reason with the boy who was inching back until his back met the wall. They had cornered him completely.

Kai tried his best to get out of the grip as Tala held him firmly. Spencer tried to pull back his arm which he was covering ad Bryan attempted to pry his hand away. They were forcing him to open up...how could he...? How could he trust them so easily...?

"We're not gonna hurt you. Hold still,will you..." Bryan gritted his teeth as the boy tried to push him away.

At last,they finally managed to over power the boy with Tala and Bryan restraining him,making him unable to resist. He had kicked and flailed with all his might but his exhausted body was not keeping up with his racing mind.

Spencer took off Kai's arm-guard which went up to the elbow to have a look at the deep cut which was covered with blood. The boy looked at him with wide eyes filled with fear and panic.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." Tala told him as Spencer got up to get some water and clean the cut.

"Yeah,Spence knows how to do it. He does ours too." Bryan added,looking into the mesmerizing crimson depths.

"I'm just gonna clean up the blood,okay..." Spencer returned to his spot with a container of water and a small cloth. He knew it wasn't enough,but right now,they couldn't offer more than that, "It might hurt a bit...but here goes..."

The boy whimpered in pain and tried to get out of the steel grip of his two room mates as Spencer gently dabbed the wet cloth on the cut. The burning pain was enough to make the young child start crying again.

"Hey come on now. Just a little more. Almost done." Tala wiped away his tears with a soft hand,still not letting him go.

"Yeah,the pain will go away soon." Bryan told him.

"We don't cry when Spencer does ours. Be brave." Tala's voice was soothing for the young boy.

"Liar...you cry at least three times." Bryan smirked.

"I do not!" The red head frowned with a pink taint appearing on his cheeks.

"Of course you do!" Bryan answered with an amused expression.

"Do not!" Tala scowled.

"Oh don't even start that,Red...we all know you do!" Spencer looked at the red head.

Kai was looking at the strange argument. These boys were...weird. They were treating him like a family...or even a friend...

"There...all done. Now wait a moment and I'll bandage it up." Spencer's voice brought Kai back into reality.

Spencer went to dispose off the articles and retrieve the bandage as Kai looked at the two boys,still holding him down, "Let go." His voice was hoarse and weak.

"How do we know you wont run away or hit us?" Bryan questioned suspiciously.

"I wont." Kai reluctantly looked at him in the eyes.

With a nod,both let his go. Kai just sat there,staring into space as Spencer bandaged his arm carefully. Tala patted him on the shoulder, "You don't have to be afraid here Kai. Me and Bry and Spence are gonna help you whenever you'll need it."

"Yeah,you wont be alone." Bryan agreed.

"Because you're our brother now." Tala continued.

Kai took a deep breathe. His arm felt better now. It was a surprise.

"Let's go to bed now." Spencer announced and they all stood up. As soon as he put his weight on his injured ankle,a sharp pain made its presence known and with a hiss,he fell back. Tala quickly supported him before looking at him with concern, "Kai...are you okay?"

In a barely audible whisper,he told about his ankle,struggling to get up again with Tala supporting him.

"I think it's sprained." Spencer stated as he examined the ankle.

"Well,fix it." The red head replied.

Spencer was bandaging it up gently as Kai's eyes began to close. Without anyone noticing,he slowly welcomed the darkness which came to swallow him. Tala gaped as the blue haired head fell on his shoulder. He looked down only to find Kai sleeping. He had passed out while the soft touch soothed his pain.

"Huh...Kai?" When he got no reply,the red head smiled at his new sleeping brother, "I hope this abbey doesn't change you."

And so,in that room,four brothers slept. Each one in his own valley of dreams,more like nightmares for Kai. This new life was going to be painful but he knew that whenever he'll fall,some one would always catch him.


	2. Brothers under the Sun

_**Hey there! Updates might be a bit late from now since I have a few tests to take care of! thanks for the reviews and liking me!**_

_**Fall in the Fires,Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 2:Brothers under the Sun.**_

Tala woke to the sounds of whimpering and sobbing. The young red head looked around only to find the bed next to him being the source. He stepped out of his bed quietly and went to sit beside his new friend. He seemed to be asleep but his face reflected pain...mental torment.

"Kai..." Tala shook him slightly, "Kai,wake up."

When he got no response,he shook the young boy harder. Kai bolted up in his bed,a look of sheer terror and panic in his crimson eyes. He looked around before his eyes settled at the red head sitting beside him,looking at him worriedly.

"Tala..." Kai's throat was getting dry and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Calm down...it was only a nightmare." Tala took Kai's shaking hand in his own. He knew all too well that in the first few days in the abbey,none of the children could sleep peacefully. They were tormented with nightmares. There own dreams haunted them until they got used to it.

Kai nodded, "I'm fine."

Tala smiled at his brother, "Good. Now go to sleep. You don't want to mess up your first official day,do you?"

Kai shook his head before murmuring, "Can't."

"Huh?" Tala looked at him, "What?"

"I said I can't sleep." Kai's eyes watered again, "Hate nightmares."

"Oh Kai..." Tala thought about it for a moment before asking, "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

Kai looked up, "Really?" His eyes held a sense of relief.

"Yeah,move over a bit." Tala motioned and so,both brothers snuggled under the cover.

"Night." Kai yawned in Tala's shirt.

"Yeah yeah,night. Now shut up and sleep. If you wake up late,you wont like it,trust me." Tala replied before closing his eyes.

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A sharp ringing sound elicited itself in the whole place,echoing in the ears. Kai woke with a start. His eyes wide with shock at the sudden noise. He almost fell out of the bed,had Tala not been holding him. He covered his ears with his hands,trying to block the sound. Beside him,Tala sat up with a yawn and stretched his arms in the air.

"What is this?" Kai asked as he opened his eyes which were shut tight as he rubbed off the sleep.

"Oh...it's the usual alarm to wake everyone up." Tala replied before getting off the bed. On the other side on the room,Spencer and Bryan were changing outfits too.

"Well,come on. You don't wanna be late for training now,do you?" Bryan gestured the dual haired boy who hesitated to take a step as the door to their room opened.

Pulling Kai along,Tala stepped outside, "Now stay quiet and follow."

The hall was long and rather dimly lit. It held a cold atmosphere. As Kai trudged after Tala,he cringed as he caught glimpse of red stains on the cemented walls. 'Blood...' His thoughts pivoted themselves around this one word.

They entered a large room filled with machines,making it look like a gym. It was rather crowded. There were some adults in lab coats going here and there and operating various machines and there were many children exercising.

"Come on." Tala lead Kai to a corner where a few machines were present, "Start training with us."

Spencer and Bryan caught up with them too. A man walked over to them,dressed as a guard, "Move it." He barked,pointing towards the weight lifting section.

Kai swallowed nervously. His arm still hurt and the pain in his ankle wasn't helping much either. He saw as Tala,Spencer and Bryan began to lift the weights. A sudden push on his back startled him out of his thoughts as a guard pushed him roughly towards his new friends. Tala caught his brother as he stumbled to regain his balance and hissed in his ear, "Do as we do."

Kai nodded as he was handed a weigh too. He tried his best to pull it up in the air but it was twice his own size so how was he supposed to lift it...? He tried again but it only aggravated the cut on his arm and he blinked back the tears which threatened to fall. A guard came by and glared at him. To his surprise,Kai glared back more hatefully while trying to lift the weight.

"Why aren't you training,you spoiled brat?!" The guard spat.

"If you happen to notice with those stupid button eyes of yours,I'm trying my best!" Kai replied in the same way.

All the room went silent at that. None of the children had ever responded to the abbey adults that way. They were all aware of the punishments and kept quiet if they were insulted.

The guard lashed out in rage and in a fit of fury,his hand went to Kai's neck. Hanging him in the mid air in front of him,he shook the boy violently,not caring if the neck would break, "What did you just say?" He brought his face closer,looking into crimson depths.

"Are you deaf? I said what you heard." Kai answered irritably, "Let go."

Tala's shook his head,praying desperately in his head, 'No...don't say that...please don't do this Kai...please stay quiet...'

Beside him,Bryan's mouth was hung open and Spencer was looking at Kai with wide eyes.

"Looks like you need some special training to remind you of your limits." A cold voice appeared out of no where. All heads turned to the new person who approached the commotion. His purple hair were greasy and his cold,stony eyes were present on Kai.

Tala forgot to breathe, 'Boris...oh no...Kai...'.

Kai forgot his argument and looked at the new man. To Tala's surprise,he didn't look scared at all but angry and hateful. Boris reached the two and raised an eyebrow. He gestured the guard who immediately let him go. With a low hiss of pain,Kai fell on the hard floor. As he tried to get up,a foot came on his chest. Eyes burning with anger,Kai lashed out and rolled from under the foot,scrambling to stand up. This time,a boot connected with his back,sending him face first to the floor.

Feeling a metallic taste in his mouth,Kai turned around as Boris glared at him and coughed. Blood escaped his mouth,splattering onto Boris's leg.

"You insolent brat..."

Boris seized him by the collar and as Kai was dragged out of the room,Tala's hand flew up to his chest,praying for his brother's safety and feeling a strange stinging pain in his heart.

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"What a pathetic surge you are..." The menacing voice was followed by a low growl of pain and voice of whipping in the air,crackling sound getting sharper by each passing minute.

"Apologize now and your pain might end." Boris looked at the blood soaked figure in front of him,present on the ground,gritting his teeth in pain but not showing any signs of backing down.

"Never." Kai's voice was laced with hatred.

"Why you little..." Boris lashed out the whip again and this time,he had hit Kai's arm,where was the previously tended cut present. The pain got too much and Kai screamed as he was slammed into the wall before hitting the floor.

Within no time,his eyes began to close as tears threatened to fall from them. Blackness rose to consume him but he wasn't going to give up,he never gave up on anything. He was too stubborn to show weakness or vulnerability.

And so...he stepped into nothingness as the pain began to make him numb.

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Tala was clenching his fists,his knuckles going white. They had returned to their room two hours ago and still there was no sign of Kai. He was worried for his new brother. Knowing the abbey trainers,the red-head knew how far they could go.

Bryan was sitting opposite Tala,swinging his legs over the bed. Spencer was present beside him,quietly praying for Kai's safety.

"Come on...what's taking him so long..." Bryan sighed,exasperated. All this wait was too much for him to handle.

"I'm sure it wont take much longer now." Spencer tried to cover up the harsh fact of what lied within those cold walls.

"I hope he's okay." Tala muttered, "He's so young."

"Well in any case,let's just..." Spencer's voice was cut off by loud,banging footsteps.

"What was that?" Tala sat upright,his senses alert as he gulped at the sound.

"Quick,get down." Bryan hissed,pushing the red-head. They were not allowed to stay up the night.

Swiftly laying motionless in the bed,Tala realized with dread that after the loud noise,was the sound of dragging footsteps and slight muffle.

The three boys lied there,holding their breaths as their door opened and a thud sounded,followed by a hiss of pain. Tala caught himself in time,trying not to jump off his bed.

"Serves you right." The guard barked at the child present on the ground before shutting the door and locking it.

Tala immediately sat up and left his bed,moving over to the figure on the floor, "Kai...?" He asked a bit unsurely as Kai took in a sharp breath and whimpered in pain. Kneeling beside him on the ground,the red head looked at him with sympathy.

"Is that...Kai?" Bryan came over too as he took in the bloodied appearance of his brother.

"Kai? Hey...it's me,Tala..." Tala placed a hand on his shoulder but pulled it back as another whimper of pain escaped the boy.

Spencer approached them carefully,sitting across Tala as his eyes widened at the damage, "That's wild...why can't they show any mercy..."

"Since when did the abbey showed mercy? They're stones...cold,hard stones..." Bryan spoke up bitterly.

"You gotta help him Spence...you would,wouldn't you?" Tala looked up at the blond hopefully.

"I'll try..." Spencer sighed, "Okay Bry,get me a rag...no...more than one...and you Tala,bring some water here. It's best if we don't move him much yet."

"Yeah right. We don't move him now and at training tomorrow,he'll be forced to move as much as possible." Bryan snapped before getting up.

Tala looked at the crimson appearing on his hand from where he had placed it on Kai's shoulder, "This sucks..." He looked at his brother. Dim light was making it hard to see,but he could clearly make out his dark outline.

"Ta-la..."

They all stopped abruptly as they heard the quiet whisper. Spencer motioned Tala to come closer and went to get the water himself.

"Yeah...I'm right here..." The red head came to his previous spot and took hold of Kai's hand gently.

"I-'m...fi-ne..." Kai's breathing was labored as he struggled to get the words out.

"Don't talk Kai...did Boris do this?"

Kai nodded faintly.

"Damn you and your abbey." Bryan cursed under his breath as he came by after retrieving the articles.

Spencer returned as well, "I tried to get this as much warmer as possible Kai...but it's not much. I'm sorry."

There was no response.

"Kai?" Bryan looked down, "He fainted."

Tala tightened his grip on the lifeless hand, "Oh Kai...what did they do to you..."

"Well,it's a good thing since I don't think he'd be able to take anymore pain." Spencer sighed before dabbing the cloth in water.

After cleaning up the blood as best as they could,the three brothers helped their new brother on the bed.

"Night Kai..." Tala muttered as he went to his own bed.

Life was so hard and all four of them had matured beyond their age just to survive and live on.

_**TBC...**_

_**There you go! Second installment! Read and Review please and have a look at the poll on y profile too! if possible,then vote! **_

_**Rose out! :)**_

_**Until next time peeps!**_


	3. Within the Stars

_**Fall in the Fires,Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 3: Within the Stars.**_

Bryan woke to the sound of sniffing. Looking around,he realized that their new brother was crying silently. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes,he stood and padded over quietly towards Kai's bed.

"Hey..." He silently nudged the boy lightly. When no response came and Kai kept his head buried in his knees which were folded up to his chest,Bryan frowned and touched his shoulder again,this time a bit harder, "Kai?"

"Go away." Came the muffled reply.

"Huh?" Bryan blinked. The boy was using the same tone he had used on his first day.

"Leave me alone." Kai hugged his knees tighter.

Tala's eyes opened as he heard a sob and a hiss. Sitting upright,he glanced at his best friend's bed only to find Bryan sitting in front of the small figure. He went over to the two, "What's wrong Kai? Does it hurt too much?" He helped himself up on the bed.

Kai shook his head gingerly.

"Then crying at this part of night is your hobby?" Bryan didn't mean to sound harsh but seeing Tala giving all his attention to the young boy made him somewhat...jealous.

Kai choked on a sob, "I...I miss...them."

"You miss who?" Tala looked at him with sympathy redialing from his ice blue eyes.

"Mama...and my...my father too." Kai shuddered.

"Oh Kai..." Tala hugged him gently,careful not to aggravate his wounds, "You'll see them soon someday,I promise."

Kai shook his head furiously and broke out of the embrace, "No,I wont...I wont ever see them again."

"Don't lose hope." Bryan forced himself to swallow his ego and patted Kai's arm.

"Of course you'll meet them again." Tala assured.

"No..." Kai snapped, "Why don't you understand...they're..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'dead' so he simply completed his phrase, "up there."

"Where?" The red head asked confused but Bryan picked up the hint in the sad tone. Kai had pointed towards the stars which peeked from a hole in the ceiling.

"Somewhere up there." Kai whispered more to himself than to his friends.

"You mean in heaven?" Tala asked innocently.

Kai blinked out of the trance, "I hope so."

"But...how? I mean,why? How did they went there?" The red head questioned again.

Something blocked Kai's voice and halted his thoughts at a certain memory.

_**FLASHBACK...**_

"_Kai Alexander Hiwatari,you've killed your own parents. You murdered them." An elderly figure spoke as if making news of a weather report._

"_No...I didn't...I would never..." The young boy sobbed._

"_Soon,you'll be punished for killing your parents. You must come with me if you want to live." _

"_No grandfather,I wont leave my home. I wont leave Mama. I wont leave..." A hand tightened it's grip on the slender neck and shook the child violently._

"_You will obey my order boy. And you will learn to respect me."_

_Kai tried to break free of the iron grip to get some space to breathe. _

"_And when I say you killed them,then I mean you killed them. Are you denying me boy?" The elder man glared at his only living relative._

_Kai's eyes were burning as he shook with anger, "I didn't kill them. No matter what you say, I know I didn't."_

_There was an ironic smirk on the elder's face, "Then how do you explain this?"_

_His hand was merely touching a blood stain on the boy's chest. _

"_It's..." Kai lost his voice at the sight._

_His mind was screaming at him in denial but he still believed his grandfather's words as his gingerly touched the crimson stain with a shaking hand._

_Voltaire steered the young boy to stand in front of a mirror, "Look at yourself," He pointed, "Your eyes are red too. The same color as blood Kai. This is the proof that you killed your parents. Not to mention this stain as well."_

_And that was enough...enough for Kai Alexander Hiwatari to believe and admit to himself that he had committed the horrid task to killing his own parents...who loved him the most._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Tala looked at Kai in surprise as he laughed bitterly, "Kai?"

The young boy raised his head and his tearful eyes met concerned blue ones, "I killed them Tala...I killed my own parents...I'm a murderer."

Tala and Bryan gasped and exchanged looks with each other before Bryan turned towards Kai, "Do you have any idea of what you're saying? That's impossible. You can't kill them."

"Yeah. And besides,why would you do that?" Tala glanced at his brother.

"But I did and I can prove it too." Kai had stopped laughing as he shook with fear, "I'm scared of myself now."

"How will you prove it?" Bryan narrowed his eyes.

"Look." Kai fixed his gaze on the lilac haired boy.

"What?" Bryan looked back equally.

"Here." Kai pointed towards his own eyes.

"Well,what is it?"

"The proof."

"Kai,what are you talking about?" Tala tried to ease the tension between his two brothers.

"My eyes are the proof." Kai told,his voice wavering slightly.

"I still don't understand." Bryan moved closer to Kai.

"My eyes are red. Blood is red too. Mama's blood was red. And my eyes have same color." Kai tried his best to explain.

"So? Blood is always red,you don't expect someone's blood to be blue or green,do you?" Bryan pointed out.

"But my eyes are red too. No one has red eyes. Only I have. And they are red because I killed my parents." Kai shook his head at his brother's lost expression.

"Kai...your eyes are natural. You didn't do anything to make them red,did you? It's not your fault." Tala attempted to snap the boy out of his reverie.

"No...this is all my fault." Kai exhaled deeply before blinking tiredly, "I miss them. But grandfather says it's my punishment because I killed them. That I'll miss them forever and I wont ever see them again."

"Your grandfather lied to you Kai. Your parents love you and you'll see them someday."

Kai shook his head sadly before re-positioning his thin blanket to sleep. Tala and Bryan left his bed to go to their own,taking in this piece of news.

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"Wake up brats. Master Boris wants to make an announcement." A guard banged at their door as he unlocked it.

The four brothers woke with a start. What could be so important right now? Getting ready for training,they thought about it but got to no conclusion.

"Now that all of you are here..."

The training room was filled with children who were gathered around a small stage where Boris was present. On his back was a door and in front of the door was a line of young boys.

"These are some new bladers which our abbey has found thankfully. They will be distributed among all the groups and will remain so." Boris's cold voice echoed as he took out a list and began to assign the new children to the previous groups.

"We're group 7." Tala told Kai in a whisper.

"Look at that kid." Bryan pointed out towards who seemed to be the youngest boy in the line.

"He seems really young." Spencer muttered.

"But he's...weird." Bryan scowled.

"How come?" Spencer asked him,amused at his behavior.

"I don't know Spence. There's just something about him which is weird."

"Maybe his size?" Tala guesses.

"Or maybe the size of his nose." Bry looked at the red head with a small smile.

Tala had to muffle his laughter as Boris called "And lastly group 7..."

"Whoa..." Tala couldn't complete his phrase.

"What the..." Bryan stared at their new group member disbelievingly, "No way...that thing is our new..." He shook his head.

Kai didn't show any special reaction. Spencer had a smile on his face as he saw Boris call out "Ian is assigned to group 7!"

"Ian..." Bryan repeated the name under his breath, "What a funny little guy."

Soon it was time for them to return back to their rooms so group 7 headed back too reaching their room late because every now and then,they would have to wait for their new member to catch up with them.

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Once inside the room, Ian was surrounded by his strange group.

"So...you're Ian?" Tala asked as they all made themselves comfortable on the beds to have a nice talk with their new friend.

Ian nodded, a bit unsure about his new friends.

"How old are you?" Spencer inquired.

"Ninety years!" Ian replied seriously.

"WHAT?"

The room was filled with laughter. Tala rolled on the floor laughing,Bryan was holding his stomach trying to regain his breath,Spencer's mouth was open and even Kai had a smile on his face.

"Funny!" Ian pouted.

"You can't be that...young!" Bryan breathed out,still laughing slightly.

"I know ninety." Ian tried to explain properly that he knew only that number but at the age of three and a half,how much clearly could you speak and explain yourself to others?

"Okay...you look like three or four years to me." Spencer observed.

"Who you?" Ian asked suspiciously.

"Oh,we haven't introduced ourselves yet." The blonde looked at him.

"Hello,I'm Tala." Tala quickly got off the floor and came to sit beside Kai who was on the other bed opposite the others.

"Tara?" Ian tried to repeat.

"Ta-la." The red head tried to teach him his name.

"Tara!" Ian repeated happily.

Bryan sighed, "And I'm Bryan."

"Byan?" Ian tried to get the word right.

"No,Bry-an." The lilac haired boy repeated.

"Byan!" Ian shook his head furiously.

"Okay,and my name is Spencer." The tallest of the group told the young boy.

"Pencer!" Ian followed.

Bryan rolled his eyes, "He's a lost case."

Ian expectantly turned to Kai,waiting to hear his name.

"Kai." Kai told the boy from where he sat with Tala.

"Aye!" Ian concluded.

"Pencer,Tara,Byan,Aye!" Ian gladly informed the boys.

Spencer had an amused smile on his face,Tala was looking at the youngest with wide eyes,Bryan was frowning and Kai was looking at Ian skeptically.

They were sure gonna learn how to stay together and look out for each other.

_**TBC...**_

_**There ya go,now gimme reviews! **_

_**Rose out! :) **_

_**Until next time!**_


	4. Heart-Warming Bonds

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 4: Heart-warming Bonds.**_

"Byan, Byan look!" An excited Ian was bouncing up and down.

"What?" Bryan looked at the youngest of the group with boredom.

"Pencer wear me an glasses!" Ian jumped in front of the lilac haired boy.

Bryan sighed. In the first few days of meeting Ian, they all had tried to teach him how to speak properly, especially Spencer and Kai.

"For the millionth time Ian, you use 'an' with vowel sounds." Bryan rolled his eyes.

Ian stopped jumping and thought for a while, "An Pencer wear me an glasses?!"

Bryan shook his head, "No, go and tell Kai."

"Okay." Ian shrugged and went over to Kai who was resting peacefully after a tiring day of training. They all used to sit and chat with each other for a while when they were allowed to return to their rooms. That way, they felt refreshed before sleeping.

"Aye?" Ian poked Kai on his forehead, "Aye, look!"

Kai shifted a bit in his sleep but remained asleep nonetheless.

"Aye wake up!" Ian continued, eager to show at least someone that Spencer had fixed his goggles which he had taken off and couldn't get them right over his head correctly.

"Hn..." Kai was half awake by now.

"Ian, let him sleep." Tala told the boy from his place where he sat, examining a piece of wood.

"Why? Aye look my glasses!" In pouted and poked Kai again, this time harder.

"Yeah..." Kai closed his eyes again after opening one a crack.

"Aye..." Ian climbed up the bed and practically sat on Kai's chest. Being the size he was, it was an easy task for him and Kai was a lot taller than him even at the age of seven.

"What Ian, get off me." Kai was fully awake now. He glared at Bryan and Tala who were snickering at the behavior of the youngest member.

Spencer shook his head, "Ian, you don't just go and ride someone just to wake them up."

"No?" Ian asked innocently.

"No." Spencer looked at him.

"I'm no ride, I sit!" Ian told the blonde.

"That's...the same thing." Tala pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"Okay...what do you want to show?" Kai asked pushing Ian lightly off him and sitting up.

"Look!" Ian gestured towards his goggle, "Pencer wear them to me!"

Kai struggled to make sense of the words before sighing, "That's good."

"The kid sure knows how to convey his point!" Bryan muttered, smirking.

"Tara..." Ian went to the red head.

"Yeah?" Tala glanced at him. They all had learned to treat him like a young brother.

"Hungy," Ian made a face as his stomach growled, "Tummy hungy!"

"He's hungry." Bryan elaborated as he saw the lost expression on Tala's face.

"No," Ian shook his head furiously, "Tummy hungy!"

"Fine...his stomach is hungry." Bryan rolled his eyes.

"But you ate a whole bread at dinner Ian." The red head told the boy skeptically.

"Bed?" Ian tried to remember what had he eaten.

"Yeah, bread. And now you're hungry again?!" Tala asked exasperated.

Kai tossed Bryan a packet of snacks from under his bed, "Found them this morning."

"Foody!" Ian announced happily.

"Ian..." Spencer looked at Ian expectantly.

"No foody?" Ian frowned.

"You can have them when you thank Kai." Spencer sighed as he tried to teach the boy some manners.

"Oh..." Ian nodded and went over to Kai, "Pencer say 'tank you' Aye!"

Spencer face-palmed, Bryan exploded with laughter as well as Tala and Kai blinked.

"Pencer is not eating these, you are so you will say thank you." Spencer practically begged to the young boy.

"Oh..." Ian tilted his head, "Me will say 'tank you' Aye." He informed the bemused boy in front of him.

"Uh...don't mention it." Kai finally stuttered as he tried to make sense of the phrase.

After munching on the snacks, Ian slept there on Kai's bed while listening to his older brothers talking to each other about there day.

"He...actually snores?!" Bryan's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the mild sound of snoring coming from the young boy.

"Don't tell me!" Tala came forward and listened intently, "He really does!"

"Give it a break guys. Let's just sleep already." Spencer stood to go to his bed.

"Please some one get him off my bed." Kai glanced at the small heap on his bed, "Eh?!"

This 'Eh! earned him a few giggles and he looked back, "Why exactly is he holding my scarf? It's not his teddy bear!"

Ian was clutching the tail ends of Kai's scarf which he was still wearing. The young boy was sleeping contently.

"What a grip." Spencer sighed after his failed attempt to release Kai's scarf from the boy's fists.

There was the sound of echoing footsteps outside which made them all drop like stones on there beds. Kai quickly pulled the blanket over himself and Ian and when it wasn't enough, he covered Ian with it, not taking any part of it on himself. The three and half year old slept peacefully in the warmth as Kai hid his shiver from the others.

The door to their room opened and a guard entered, "Master Boris is calling you brat. Get up!" He was glaring at Kai since he was the same guard who had gotten into that argument with Kai about 'button eyes'.

Kai quickly undid his scarf's knot and left it in Ian's hand as he got off the bed to follow the guard. The door was slammed shut and locked behind him as he stepped into the dark hallway.

Tala swallowed as he tried to stay calm, "Why is he called at a time like this?"

"Don't know. Let's just hope he'll return." Bryan whispered back.

Spencer looked at the door worriedly.

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He was standing inside a cold office. There was a mahogany desk in front of him and opposite the desk was the back of a chair facing him.

"Kai..." The chair finally turned to meet him.

"Grandfather." Kai raised his eyes hatefully.

"I've heard about your recent behavior and I must say I'm very disappointed in you." Voltaire leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk.

Kai remained silent.

"I have also heard that you're not showing much progress in training. In fact, you deserved what Boris did to you."

Kai still said nothing.

"Why do you intend to bring down our family name boy?" Voltaire slammed his fist on the desk, "I had high hopes for you."

"I damn care about your plans. Why don't you leave me alone?" Kai's voice was high too and he knew the consequences.

"Leave you alone...LEAVE YOU ALONE?" The elder rose from his seat, coming to stand before the boy, "I'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE IN HELL BOY! DON'T MAKE ME TAME THAT TONGUE OF YOURS!"

"I wont become your puppet and do whatever you'll say without question." Kai stood his ground, but couldn't help wincing slightly as he was slapped viciously.

Voltaire fumed as he pressed a button on his desk. Two guards came from the now open door.

"Throw him outside and make sure he turns to ice himself."

The guards nodded and dragged the non-resisting boy outside the room. Kai simply allowed himself to be pushed and pulled towards the snow-covered grounds as he tried to prepare himself for the inevitable, his mind racing.

He was pushed on the hard, cold ground roughly as he clenched his teeth at the Russian climate.

"Serves you right, brat." A guard kicked him in the chest and Kai gasped in pain.

Leaving the boy to suffer in the cold blanket of snow, the guards went back inside.

Kai took a deep breath and shivered uncontrollably as he tried to gain some warmth in his unprotected body. He shuddered as small ice shards clung to his hair and shook his head,trying to get rid of them.

It stung...it really stung. His chest was on fire as he was covered with snow. Within a few moments, he collapsed on the cold ground in an unmoving heap.

He tried to look above but the snow fall prevented him. This snow...which was now killing him had once been one of his favorite time-passes.

_**FLASHBACK...**_

"_Mama,look." A young boy came running inside._

"_What is it sweetheart?" A lovely woman with long flowing blue hair and crimson eyes appeared from behind a door._

"_I made a snow bird." The child told his mother happily._

"_Really? Where is it?" The woman followed her son to the outside world, angelic white with snow._

"_It's a phoenix." The boy announced as he showed his mother the model._

"_Wow, it's really nice Kai. How did you make it?" Katia knelt before her son._

"_I made it with ice mama." Kai clapped at the words of appreciation._

"_What is it's name?" _

"_Um..." Kai thought for a while, "Dranzer."_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Dranzer..." Kai smiled at the memory, "I'm so cold..."

He struggled to breathe as he felt his body going numb from the freezing winds. After a couple of minutes, blackness rose to consume him and he allowed himself to slip into the abyss of darkness.

Unbeknown to the now unconscious boy, there was a mysterious glow in his jeans' right pocket and the moment he fainted, a bright golden ray emitted from it and took a form beside him.

It was a girl. She had heel length bright red hair which flowed around her. She was wearing a golden,orange and red cloak with a hood which was present on her head. Her brilliant crimson eyes were looking at the prone figure on the ground in front of her. Her skin was extremely fair and her light orange lips thinned as she took in the appearance of her master. She held out an elegant hand as she daintily brushed away his hair. Under the cloak, could be seen glimpses of a long, full-sleeved golden and silver dress.

The guardian phoenix knelt beside her master as she gazed at him sadly.

Slowly, she took of her cloak and spread it over his freezing body to warm him up. Nuzzling close to him to share the heat as she radiated.

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It was late when group 7 returned back from their training. The guard opened the door and as they all entered the room,locked the door once more.

Once inside, Tala's eyes widened at the sight as he saw a motionless figure on the hard floor.

"K-Kai?", The red head knelt beside the boy who was shivering every now and then.

"He's freezing." Bryan cursed under his breath as he touched Kai's shoulder, "Those damned fools."

Spencer quickly went and pulled off Kai's blanket from the bed, spreading it over the unconscious boy to warm him up. When it didn't work,Tala got up and covered Kai with the rest of the blankets too. Ian watched his brothers quietly, trying to know what was going on. His young mind registered the fact that his favorite brother wasn't talking or moving. Inching closer, he touched Kai's arm, "Aye?"

No reply came.

"Ian, he's...sleeping." Spencer told the boy not wanting to explain the meaning of 'unconscious' at that time.

"Oh..." Ian stepped back.

They helped Kai on the bed in the jumbled mass of blankets, letting him get him warmth.

And still cold, Kai was vaguely aware of the strong bond he had formed with his brothers.


	5. My Friends, My Family

_**NO WAY! AN UPDATE? I MEAN, AN ACTUAL UPDATE?! OF COURSE IT IS AN UPDATE! **_

_**You guys have no idea what I've been through. I would've been doomed if my results were bad of my annual exams. It was announced yesterday and thankfully, I actually made it! Gosh! So happy! **_

_**SPECIAL NOTE WRITTEN AFTER A WEEK OF ABOVE WRITTEN NOTE: My life is a mess. My one and only sister unfortunately had a mis-carriage on her first time to be a mother. Please if anyone likes my story and is reading this, please pray for her and me. I'm extremely depressed.**_

_**A/N: This chapter is DEDICATED to SKYRESSSHUN because of her BIRTHDAY...**_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 5: My Friends, My Family.**_

The water dripping on his forehead was cold. But it didn't affect him much. He just wanted to sleep.

"Kai?" The familiar voice bounced off his cloudy mind as if a fog was preventing him to catch hold of complete consciousness. Groaning, he shifted a bit.

"Aye?" This voice was young and tearful, "Ian miss you Aye. Open your eye."

"Hey..." Some one had nudged him lightly, this voice was a bit gruff.

He tried to open his eyes and managed to crack open one before closing it again.

"Kai? Hey come on now, wake up." This voice belonged to an older person.

Kai shifted again and with another low groan, he finally opened his eyes, blinking slowly.

"Hey, you're awake." A shock of red hair met his sight before he was hugged gently.

"How're you feeling?" Bryan let out a sigh of relief.

"Dunno." Kai tried to ease the stiffness of his arms and legs.

"Ian was miss you Aye!" Ian pounced on Kai from the back, hugging him tightly.

Spencer blinked at Ian's tortured English and placed the cold, damp cloth he was holding aside.

"You worried us to death back there." Tala told his best friend, sitting in front of him.

"What happened?" Kai tried to remember what had happened after he was thrown out in the cold.

"Um...when we came back from training yesterday, we found you unconscious here. We tried to make you warm but then, you kept sleeping and when we returned today, you had a fever." The red head explained.

Kai frowned, "Sorry."

"Not your fault." Bryan told him, "What exactly happened? Why were you so cold?"

"I..." Kai blinked at the sudden images, flashing in his mind at the memory of his grandfather, "Nothing. It was just a punishment."

"Punishment? But why? What did you do?"

Kai knew that his resolution to fight back would earn him punishment every now and then. It was more often that he would have liked.

Even without him answering the said questions, Tala somehow knew why Kai had been punished. Living with him for almost three months now gave the red head some idea about the personality of his friend. He also learned the fact about his grandfather being the money machine which fueled the abbey and how he stayed behind the scenes when his business partner Boris took care of the abbey.

"What time is it?" Kai asked, averting his gaze and pulling Ian off him.

"We have about half an hour before training." Spencer replied, getting up, "Better get ready."

Kai swallowed. He didn't feel good at all. His body ached from the fever and previous punishments and he felt exhaustion taking its toll.

"You know you can't skip training Kai." Tala seemed to be reading his mind.

"I...know." Kai slumped back tiredly.

"Boris would probably think you're making up a lame excuse." Bryan spoke up.

Kai looked up and sighed.

"Ian will be help you Aye!" Ian piped up, trying to cheer up his brother.

"Ian, you'll be the one needing help instead of Kai!" Bryan smirked at the youngest.

Ian frowned, "Ian help Aye!"

"No Ian needs help from Aye!" Bryan told the young boy.

"No...Byan help Ian and Ian help Aye!" Ian shook his head furiously.

"What a splendid plan my dear bro!" Bryan rolled his eyes.

"Ian know!" Ian informed Bryan kindly, "Ian is 'pendid'!"

"Pffft!" Bryan tried to control his laughter at the poor word 'splendid' who was tortured by Ian to become 'pendid'.

Spencer shook his head, "You know Ian, teaching you to speak properly is like teaching a brick wall. At least show some progress."

"Well he did make progress Spence." Tala pointed out, "He stopped hurting poor 'I' and uses his name now!"

"Pencer Pencer!" Ian jumped, "Aye is sleep."

"Huh?"

Tala looked over, "Kai? He fell asleep again?!"

"His fever's really high. Should we tell Boris he can't come?" Bryan frowned. He honestly didn't like his brother in a condition like this no matter how much jealous he felt for him being close to Tala.

"We can't. Either he'll be punished or taken to the medical wing and we can't risk that." Tala shook his head.

"Well? What else can we do?" Bryan pursed his lips.

"Kai? Hey Kai...can you hear me?" Tala bent over Kai and shook him gently.

No response came. Kai's cheeks were flushed as he drew in sharp breaths.

"We have to get him up on his feet. Otherwise he'll be late for the training." Tala told Bryan.

"One thing, the training starts in fifteen minutes. Second thing, do you really expect him to be able to train in this condition?" Bryan looked at the red head.

"He must. We have to save him from the punishment Bry. It's the only way. We've got to help him." Tala's face became serious.

Bryan pondered at the words for a moment before finally saying, "Okay...let's do it."

When Spencer returned after changing his outfit, he was surprised to find a feverish Kai standing upright with Tala supporting him and Bryan telling him something in a low voice.

"Pencer look good!" Ian told the blonde from his place, "Tara and Byan wake Aye, Pencer!"

"You little gossiper!" Bryan looked at Ian only to receive a bright toothy smile from the young boy.

"I wear this every day Ian and you noticed it now?!" Spencer sighed, "And what are you two doing?"

When Tala told the blonde, he agreed to help. After all, Kai couldn't take anymore punishments...at least not so soon.

Kai pulled away from Tala shakily as the door was unlocked. He threw the uncertain red head a hollow smile before walking out unsteadily.

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Their training went smoothly. Nothing special happened, well except for the fact that Kai was panting hard and struggling to keep up with the rest. His brothers tried to help him as best as they could without the guards noticing. Given the fact that Spencer was helping Ian, Bryan and Tala took Kai's responsibility, keeping as eye out for the dual-haired boy.

Kai tried to lift up a weight but failed miserably as his arms and legs shook with fever. He attempted again and surprisingly, this time it was lifted off the floor easily. Looking beside him, Kai was relieved to find Tala helping him. He nodded gratefully as a silent thanks and the red head smiled at him.

The friendly smile turned to one of a concern before turning into a fearful expression. Not understanding what was going on, Kai looked back only to find a guard standing behind him, a savage smile on his face.

"I...I..." Tala stuttered.

"You seem to have forgotten the rules of this place brat. You need to be reminded of them. Master Boris would be very pleased to teach you a lesson." The guard took hold of Tala's shirt as he dragged him outside the room.

"No!"

All of a sudden, Tala felt himself being pulled backwards. Looking in the direction, his eyes widened, "Kai? No, don't do this. I'll be alright." He almost pleaded in a low voice.

"Let him go." Kai stubbornly pulled the red head towards him again.

"Get lost, you insolent brat. Don't make me teach you a lesson as well." The guard angrily tugged at Tala.

"No, let go of him. I wont let you take..." Kai was pushed back with a strong kick in his chest followed by a hard blow. He staggered behind and felt someone catch him.

"No...Tala..." As Kai tried to lash out again, he felt someone restraining him.

"Calm down Kai. You'll only make it worse." Bryan hissed in his ear, as he controlled the enraged boy.

Spencer looked up sadly from where he was standing with Ian. Compared to him, the young boy almost came up to his shin, making him appear even smaller. He grabbed Spencer's hand and didn't let go, fear evident in his eyes.

"Come on." Bryan dragged a resistant Kai towards his group, pushing the boy every now and then to keep him on track. Kai tried to look back at the door but to his horror, it had been closed. He swallowed as his throat became dry and allowed Bryan to lead him where ever he was going to.

The rest of the training went like usual.

'If only I hadn't been so weak...Tala would've still been with us.' Kai thought angrily. This anger fueled his body and he completed the session without taking anyone's help.

Returning to their rooms, the boost of adrenaline wore off and Kai felt his vision waver slightly. He blinked to clear the sight in front of him but accidentally bumped into another boy who rewarded him with angry Russian curses. He would've replied, had he not been feeling so nauseous and weak so he remained quiet, focusing on walking properly.

Bryan listened the labored breathing beside him and before he could think or ask, he was forced to catch a semi-conscious Kai.

"Whoa...Kai? You okay?" Supporting the boy, Bryan realized how feverish he actually was.

Thankfully being a quick-thinker, Bryan quickly took hold of his brother. Not letting anyone suspect an issue, he steered the delirious boy towards their room. Spencer threw a worried glance back but kept his mouth shut.

Once inside their safe heaven, Bryan let out a breath he had been holding. With the help of Spencer, he finally lied the boy down on the nearest bed gently.

As Spencer went to get a cold rag for Kai, Bryan sat beside him with a sigh. He looked at his brother sadly.

"Aye?" Ian took a step forward hesitantly, "Aye sleep very much." He shook his head in disapproval.

"Kai's sick Ian." Bryan told the young boy, "He's resting."

"Oh. Aye, Don't wake up. Be..." Ian struggled to find the word to replace 'better' due to his limited vocabulary, "Be...good!"

Bryan looked at the youngest. As he opened his mouth to say something, he heard some incoherent words in a low voice from his friend's side. Leaning over the delirious, sick boy, Bryan could catch some of the words he was saying in his semi-conscious state..

"Tala...no...come back..." His voice faded as a feverish sleep took over him.

Bryan shook his head sadly and bit his lip in helplessness. Who knew what was going on with the red-head at that time.

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For the rest of the night, Spencer and Bryan took turns to cool Kai's head with the damp, cold cloth. They couldn't afford to have him suffering with high fever during the training. They kept waiting but Tala didn't come. Ian slept after his failed attempts to help his brothers. He had dumped the cloth on Bryan's head, tripped and spilled the water all over the floor, fell over Spencer's legs as he tried to cross it and accidentally got his head stuck under the bed.

Right now, while sleeping, he was cuddling Kai's scarf which reminded him of his toys which he used to sleep with. Tangling his blanket around him as he twisted to free himself, he had fallen off the bed and now sat on the floor with tearful eyes. An ugly bruise made itself known on his right temple and as he touched it gingerly, a few tears escaped his eyes.

Seeing the young boy on the verge of tears, Bryan got up from Kai's side as Spencer was sleeping after his turn. Reaching near, he sat on the floor beside him.

Looking into the boy's tearful eyes, Bryan asked, "Does it hurt?"

Ian nodded his head and sniffed.

"Don't worry, the pain will go away soon." Bryan swallowed awkwardly. How was he to comfort a young tearful kid?!

He touched the bruise lightly and before he could do anything, Ian lashed forward and hugged his older brother with all his might.

"Hey!" Bryan almost squeaked. It was indeed an awkward situation for the lilac haired boy and he hesitantly patted Ian's head before clearing his throat, "Okay, enough. Now off the floor."

He stood, pulling Ian up with him. This was gonna be a hard night.

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"YOU THINK YOU ARE TOUGH? THAT YOU CAN BREAK THE RULES AND HELP THAT DAMNED BOY?" Boris thundered as he glared at the red-head present in his office.

"I...I'm sorry..." Tala didn't want to reveal the secret of Kai's sickness.

"SORRY?! YOU'RE SORRY? WHY WERE YOU HELPING THAT TRECHROUS GRANDSON IN THE FIRST PLACE?" Boris slapped the boy in a fit of fury.

"Gr-grandson?" Tala couldn't help his curiosity.

"Yes, GRANDSON!" Boris's voice turned venomous.

"I...I didn't know sir." Tala mumbled, though still puzzled as to why Kai was referred to as 'Grandson'.

"WHAT DIDN'T YOU KNOW? THAT HE WAS VOLTAIRE'S GRANDSON?!" Boris was yelling again.

Tala gasped at the news. Voltaire's name wasn't new for his ears...on for anyone living in the abbey...for the matter.

And then...before he could do or say anything, blows began to shower down upon him.

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Bryan blinked the sleep away from his eyes. Spencer and Ian were both sleeping now...on the same bed. Bryan snorted lightly at the sight. A young boy had actually hugged him...hugged a cold, heartless idiot named Bryan Kuznetsov! How...entertaining!

He was sure if Tala was here at the moment, he would've laughed his heart out at the scene. But unfortunately, there was none.

And Kai...he would've surely smiled...a true smile at that hilarious moment. But he was unconscious, spiking up a high fever and calling for the red-head faintly.

Bryan shook his head at the randomly flowing thoughts and hesitantly...his mind resisting...but his heart forcing him to...he took Kai's burning hand in his own, not knowing any other way to comfort the restless boy.

The door was unlocked. Bryan jumped in his place and instantly dropped motionless on the bed. He heard two different sounds of footsteps entering the room.

When the door closed again, the lilac haired boy sighed in relief and got up to have a look. Spencer had woken up too but Ian was still sleeping as if nothing had happened.

Tala looked up at his brothers and met their concerned gazes. He tried to smile, "Hey."

"Hey." He was greeted back in an equally low voice.

"How's Kai?" Tala swallowed.

"Sick. He was asking for you." Bryan told the red head sadly.

Tala went over to his best friend and placed a cool hand on his forehead, not knowing what else to do.

Kai shifted under the touch before murmuring, "-ala..."

"I'm right here Kai." The red head told the feverish boy, "I wont leave you again, I promise."

Surprisingly, Kai relaxed as he heard those words. Tala brushed back his hair and patted his head gently, making up for the loss.

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In the morning, Kai's fever finally broke. Opening his crimson eyes, he was relieved to see the person he trusted the most. Tala Ivanov was the first sight before his eyes. Blinking slowly, he took a deep breath, "Tala..."

"Hey, you're awake." Tala smiled down at the boy.

"When did you..."

"Last night." Tala cut him off.

"What did they do?" The whispered question was hiding emotions.

Tala was left speechless, "Nothing new Kai...just the same."

Kai didn't demand an explanation. Remembering something, Tala countered with his own question, "Kai?"

The boy raised his head to meet his brother's gaze.

"Whose your grandfather?"

_**Didn't know where to end the chapter. Can't think right now.**_

_**A moment of silence will be appreciated.**_

"…"

"…"

"…"

_**Thank you.**_

_**Rose out...until next time.**_


	6. Live Free or Let Me Die

_**I'm grateful for all the reviews and to those who prayed. I guess the sun is finally beginning to shine through the storm clouds.**_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 6: Live Free or Let Me Die.**_

"Who's you grandfather?"  
The question caught Kai off guard and he blinked, "What?"

"Who is your grandfather Kai? What's his name?" Tala repeated.

"I...I'm sorry." Kai muttered before turning away from the red head.

Tala looked at Kai's back for a few moments before placing a hand on his arm, facing up. When Kai turned around, Tala was surprised to see the boy's face wet with tears.

"I'm...I'm sor-ry." Kai sobbed before rubbing his eyes.

"Oh Kai...I didn't mean to upset you." Tala regretted asking that question. He threw his arms around the boy's shaking shoulders, pulling him in an embrace, "I just wanted to know."

"Vol-Voltaire." Kai told the red head in a shaky voice. The name triggered countless painful memories.

Tala gasped at the name and hugged the boy even tighter. That name...was the only reason as to why they were here, in the abbey.

Kai shook violently, "Please don't hate me."

"What are you talking about? Of course I wont hate you...never." Tala scolded the boy and patted his back, "I promise."

Kai only nodded, resting his cheek on his best friend's shoulder.

The door unlocked suddenly.

"Lord Voltaire wishes to see you." A guard was glaring at Kai, who glared back with equal hatred.

"Please don't do anything stupid Kai." Tala whispered as he saw the boy getting up, off the bed, "Don't be so reckless."

"I'll try." The silent words revealed their face in Kai's crimson eyes before he left.

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Standing in the cold, dark office, Kai shivered involuntarily. The room held an aura of watchfulness.

"Kai..."

The chair in front of his spun as Voltaire came face to face with his grandson.

"Voltaire." Kai simply loathed the name but he couldn't bring himself up to call the man his grandfather.

"Being my grandson is an advantage for you." The elder stated.

"More like disadvantage." Kai muttered under his breath.

Voltaire chose to ignore the words, "That's why you are going to aid me in fulfilling my plans."

Kai's raised his head with a sharp jerk, "I'd rather die." He hissed in a venomous voice.

"Watch your tongue boy." Voltaire glared at his grandson, " You **will **help me."

"Never." Kai snapped back.

"We'll see about that. I'm sure you'd love to see your precious little friends serving as my whipping posts." There was a malicious smirk on the elder's face.

Kai's eyes widened as he paled drastically, "What do you want?"

"I want you to break them from the inside Kai. Tear their souls apart. Drain their spirits."

"And why should I help you in your world domination?" Kai narrowed his eyes.

"I have my reasons. I want to know whether you are helping me or not." Voltaire bore his eyes in his grandson's.

"No." Kai shook his head furiously, "I'd rather die than betraying my friends. I damn care about what you want."

In a flash, something happened. Voltaire pressed a button and the door opened. In came a few guards. One of them was dragging...

"Tala..." Kai gasped. He felt suffocated...like his fate had turned against him. His life was a mess already and here he was, on a situation of dilemma.

"Kai?"

He didn't look up at the familiar voice. He couldn't. But he couldn't obey his grandfather's orders either.

"Such a lovely reunion. Now then, let's see how much will it take to bend you, my grandson." Voltaire gestured the guards.

Within no time, a guard was holding Kai and two others were on Tala. Voltaire took out a whip, "Let's see how you deal with this, young Kai."

Soon the room echoed with pained screams of a certain red head. Being bound, Kai couldn't cover his ears but that was the only thing he wanted to do. So he closed his eyes tightly.

"Open those bloody eyes of yours or this boy wont live to see the light of a new day." Voltaire brought the whip straight on Kai's chest who snapped open his eyes at the sudden impact.

"Tala..." He forced his tears back as his eyes began to burn at the horrid sight.

"K-Kai?" Tala tried to see past blood and saw a lashing whip aimed straight for his face. Ice blue eyes were screwed shut as he waited for the blow to land. To his surprise, it didn't connect with his skin. Looking up, he gasped, "Kai, no..."

The boy had over-powered the guards holding him and had taken the blow on his arm instead.

"YOU FOOL..." Voltaire thundered.

"I wont...let you...harm my...friends." Kai panted as another blow landed on his back.

He was pulled back and as he saw the whip coming down on his best friend, the thread finally snapped.

"THAT'S ENOUGH..." He couldn't take it anymore. His mind leaving his body, Kai latched onto Voltaire's arm and before he could think, he bite down hard on the clothed arm.

With a howl of pain, Voltaire jerked his arm and slammed the boy in a near by wall.

Seeing that his grandson was getting up, Voltaire pulled out something from his desk's drawer and aimed it at the now unconscious red head, "One more step and you'll regret it boy."

Kai bit his lip and a single tear made it's way down his face at the sight of a sleek gun pointed at Tala's head. All the pros and cons were against him.

With a shaky breath before losing consciousness, he finally choked out, "I...surrender."

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Bryan blinked his eyes open as the door of their room was unlocked and slammed open. Some one had entered and there was the sound of dragging something. With a clenched heart, he waited patiently until the door was closed and locked again.

Getting off the bed, he could make out two outlines. Before checking on them, he went and shook Spencer awake.

"Look. I think they're back." He pointed, showing the prone figures to the blonde.

With a sigh of relief, Spencer left his bed too. Coming close to the unconscious boys, they gasped at the blood...even though it was nothing new.

Spencer went for the closest one which happened to be Tala, "Tala? Hey Tals?" He shifted him in a more comfortable position.

Bryan was shaking Kai gently, "Hey, wake up." When he got no response, he looked at Spencer, "Now what?"

"Hm...can you help Kai? I'll take care of Tala." Spencer formed the plan.

Bryan nodded and went to get the equipment. Ian kept sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened. His young mind wandering in the dreamland.

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Kai woke to a sudden burning pain. Gasping sharply, he sat up abruptly, causing the whip lashes to stretch and reopen and his head banging against another. With a low hiss of pain, he grabbed his head.

"Ouch Kai! You mind slowing down a bit?!"

Kai turned his head at the lilac haired boy, "Bryan?"

"No way, really?!" Bryan rolled his eyes before picking up the wet cloth again, "Hold out your arm."

"Huh?" Kai finally realized that his lilac haired friend was tending to his wounds, "Sorry."

"What was it this time?" Bryan questioned as he pulled back Kai's sleeve to expose the wound.

Kai lost his voice. Memories crashed down on him and he forgot to breathe.

"Kai?" Bryan noticed the sudden change in Kai's mood and patted his shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

"N-no." Kai swallowed, "Where's Tala?" His voice was shaking.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Spencer told from his place, "How're you feeling?"

"Fine." Kai glanced at the red head who was lying on his stomach since his back had faced the whip. Spencer had cleaned up the blood pretty much.

Kai averted his gaze and sensing the boy's pain, Bryan didn't push him further for answers. He simply dabbed the cloth on his wound gently, making Kai wince but stay still.

A few minutes passed in an awkward silence since no one knew what to say. Bryan finally finished cleaning the cuts and wrapped them in some make-shift bandages.

A groan was heard and they all turned towards the red head who was waking up.

"Hey." Spencer greeted as intense blue eyes were fixed on him. Bryan got up from Kai's side and went towards Tala. Sitting beside him, he whispered something. Tala turned towards Kai. Kai averted his gaze, looking at the now very interesting floor.

"Kai?" When he still didn't say anything, Tala continued, "Kai, what was all that about?"

Kai looked up into his best friend's eyes.

"Say something." Bryan became impatient.

"I'm sorry." Kai didn't raise his head this time...he couldn't.

"Sorry doesn't cut it. Why did your grandfather call Tala? And not just call him, he sent him back in this condition." Bryan spoke up angrily.

"I...I tried." Kai almost whispered.

"No, you didn't. If you had tried, Tala would've been in a better shape." Bryan clenched his fists.

"Kai, what was Voltaire talking about?" Tala looked at his best friend intensely.

"I...I can't tell you. That's why, I'm sorry." Kai finally spoke up, his eyes filled with emotions.

"Oh hell no...you have to tell us." Bryan stomped his foot on the floor, causing Ian to wake up and jump out of the bed.

"I said I can't and I wont. Leave me alone." Kai finally snapped.

"Angy Aye!" Ian shook his head, "Aye is a Angy Bird!" He remembered how his parents showed him the game of 'Angry Birds'.

Spencer smiled sadly but said nothing. He wanted to know the answers too. It was only natural.

"Oh yeah...I think you need some good beating to remind you that we're friends." Bryan gritted his teeth.

"You'll regret it." Kai stood up shakily.

"Oh yes, we will. Because I forgot whose grandson you were. No wonder you're so happy to live in this abbey in the first place."

Kai's face became red with humiliation and anger and he glared at Bryan.

"You're going to end up corrupting us as well. Why don't you stay away from us..."

At this, Kai flared up and was about to hit the boy when he felt someone tugging at his scarf. Looking back, he realized it was Ian, standing there with a teary face, "Don't fight Aye. Be good boy. Byan don't love you. Ian love you."

Kai blinked at the innocent words.

"Who cares. He's got enough love from his grandpa already." Bryan spat back. This jealousy was finally blinding him.

A single tear leaked from crimson eyes at the words. Kai was left speechless. His friends were already falling apart. He was obeying Voltaire's orders.

"You were faking from the beginning." Bryan had hammered the final nail. Before anyone could say something or stop him, Kai stormed out of the room.

"Forgive me my friends, I have no choice."

_**R&R please, thank you. **_

_**Rose out until next time.**_


	7. Bleeding Hearts

_**Don't really know why but this chapter is rather funny. Don't mind the seriousness of my author notes and give me some time.**_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 7: Bleeding Hearts.**_

The lone store room echoed with strangled sobs. A young boy sat there in the cold, all alone, crying his heart out.

"W-why...di-d h-he do...do it..." He asked no one in particular as sobs racked his body.

It was dark...much darker than he would've liked but he was still sitting there, crying heart-brokenly at his loss. He shivered and coughed, all the crying finally getting to him. In the condition he was right now, he wouldn't be able to do anything to muffle his voice.

When it got too much to handle, he finally coughed hard and threw up the little contents of his stomach in an empty brown cardboard box nearby.

Darkness seemed to cloud his mind. Before he accepted the blissful darkness, he felt someone's hand on his back. Trembling, Kai opened his eyes a crack, desperately searching for the owner of the touch. And he did saw a blurry someone. The mysterious figure was glowing and he could hear it sing in a melodious voice,

will flicker into light  
there's a spark inside us  
that we can all ignite  
all that's dark inside us  
will flicker into light  
there's a power in every breath  
there's a power in every note  
a power that starts within the heart  
a power that rises through the throat  
and when it sails up through the air,  
more beautiful than any prayer  
this power could right a wrong  
and it always thrill the ear  
of those who have the power to hear  
the magic of this song  
all that's strong inside us,  
that tells us wrong from right,  
becomes a song inside us,  
to the chase away the night.

"M-mama...?" He squinted his eyes for a better view but the haze prevented him. He felt as if a mysterious fog was engulfing him as the familiar song was continued.

The touch was so gentle, the voice was so beautiful, the sparkle was so dazzling, he was sure it was his mother.

"B-but...I...I kille..." A finger caressed his cheek, stopping him from saying more.

So if his mother was here, did that mean he was dieing? That she had come to take him along with her? The thought appealed him and leaning back, Kai allowed himself to be embraced by the warm touch before his world went black.

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"Well that went smoothly." Spencer ran a hand through his hair.

"Wasn't my fault." Bryan insisted again, "He went on his own. We just wanted to know. We could've helped him."

"He didn't want to be helped Bry." Tala raised his head, "He wanted to deal with his issues himself."

Bryan opened his mouth to say something but Ian beat him to it, "Byan was bad. Byan 'urt' Aye. Aye was good with Byan and Byan cry Aye."

At Bryan's lost expression, Spencer sighed and elaborated, "He means you hurt Kai and you made him cry even though Kai was behaving good with you."

"Oh." Bryan bit his lip, "Hey I was just asking. He went all angry and..."

"Aye angy coz You make Aye angy." Ian pointed out wisely.

"Give me a break, you little caterpillar!" Bryan was getting irritated now.

"Good boyings say sowwy Byan." Ian advised.

Even in the tense atmosphere, the others couldn't help themselves as they laughed at poor plural of 'boy' from Ian's side.

Ian pouted and stood up.

"Where are you going lobster?" Bryan asked.

"Ian no 'lobter'! Ian go to help Aye."

You know where he is?" Tala got off the bed.

Ian nodded his head.

"Where?"

"In this 'bidding'!" Came the reply.

"Ian, we know he's in this building." Tala face-palmed.

Before anyone could stop the tiny figure, Ian slipped through the bars of the door but got stuck from the back. Rolling his eyes, Bryan went and gave him a push which forced the young boy out of the room.

" 'Tank you Byan...and Pencer...and Tara...and Aye...and Ian!" Ian jerked his head before going on his journey to find his missing brother.

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Ian was wandering in the hallway when he suddenly heard footsteps and a voice.

"_I know, I love you too. Just wait till I get my hands on the money and then...we'll go to a honey moon together..."_

A guard was talking on his radio to some one he obviously loved.

Ian stuck his tongue out at the sickeningly sweet words and suddenly realized that the guard was coming his way. Not having any other choice, the young boy stepped into the closest room and closed the door behind him. He fearfully tried to look in the dark as he entered and took a step forward.

"Aye?" He called out quietly. No response came. He went a little more forward and suddenly, bumped into a something which happened to be a box. This was an old storeroom after all.

"Aye..." He called again, this time a bit louder.

He moved ahead and found a faint glow. Not knowing, Ian sat down beside the glow. As his eyes got accustomed to the dark, what he saw froze him on the ground.

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Group seven sat in heavy silence, pondering on what to say. But no one was breaking the silence.

All of a sudden, sniffing was heard from the outside.

"They caught him." Tala's heart stuck in his throat. But they saw Ian's small frame coming back, his hands clutching a white fabric.

"No, they didn't." Spencer went to pull the boy in as he got stuck...again...in the barred door.

"Well? Hey is that Kai's scarf?" Tala left his bed coming to stand near the young boy, " Why are you crying?"

"Aye...Aye..." Ian sobbed before burying his head in the red head's shirt.

"What Kai? What happened?" Tala asked frantically.

"Aye dead."

Ian had exploded a bomb on their heads. The blast wave hit hard.

"WHAT?" All four of them surrounded the boy who was now crying uncontrollably.

"What do you mean? Ian what happened?" Tala sat on the ground, still hugging the boy.

"Ian go to the room and...and a man say love to some b'dy and Ian...Ian hide in the room...was cold...and...and dark." Ian hiccuped and held Tala's shirt in a death grip.

"And?" Bryan asked.

"And...and Aye sleep there...and Ian try to wake Aye but Aye sleep...and...and Aye cry and...and Aye say good bye...and Aye say he pain...in here." Ian placed a hand on his chest where his heart was present.

"And...and Aye say...Aye say Aye dead."

Spencer bit his lip and Bryan hung his head low.

"And Aye give Ian this." Ian showed the scarf, "And Aye say, run Ian...and don't look back Ian. And Ian run." He sobbed again.

Tala blinked before a sudden thought came in his mind to make Bryan see that he had indeed pushed Kai really far. The red head got up, still holding Ian and took him to a corner, mouthing to the others, "I'll be right back." and faking sympathy towards the still crying boy. Bryan and Spencer nodded, understanding that Tala had gone to comfort Ian.

They saw him whispering something to Ian which appeared to be questions. The young boy answered him in a barely audible voice and after a few minutes, a bit louder, Tala stated, looking at Ian, "Don't worry, he's still with us."

"Huh? Where?" Ian rubbed his eyes and looked at the red head.

"In here." Tala placed a hand on Ian's heart, "Just like he said."

"You mean he...really..." Bryan hesitated.

Tala nodded solemnly, his eyes downcast.

"No way, he was so...young." Spencer's eyes went wide.

"Sorry Spence. Ian is telling the truth." Tala let out a soft sob.

"B-but..." Spencer felt a sting in his heart. He had gotten used to Kai's quiet presence around them.

Tala peeked to see Bryan's reaction. The lilac haired boy just stood there, mouth slightly opened, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Sorry Bry." Tala muttered loud enough for him to hear. And that was all Bryan needed. Slumping down on the floor, he took in a breathe sharply. He felt a pang of guilt hit him like bricks, over and over again. Kai hadn't deserved to die like that, but he had. And it was all his fault. If only he had kept his mouth shut, none of this would've happened. Blinking rapidly, he looked around helplessly.

"N-no...he can't. I...I didn't...Tala, I didn't..." Bryan's voice was blocked in his throat, "This is all my fault. If only...If only I had..." He didn't complete his sentence as tears flowed from his lilac eyes freely.

Ian went and sat beside him and somewhat maturely, he hugged Bryan, "Don't cry Byan. Aye live here." He touched Bryan's chest's left side with his small hand, "Aye be happy in Byan 'aart'"

"My...heart?" Bryan covered Ian's hand with his own, still on his chest where his heart was beating.

Ian nodded, "And Aye happy here. Aye love Byan...Aye Byan 'bother'."

"Huh?"

"He means brother." Tala elaborated.

"Oh." Bryan lowered his eyes.

Ian brought Kai's scarf close to Bryan's face, "Looky, Aye give it. It's good. You want it 'carf'?"

"The...scarf..." Bryan sniffed and took the scarf, burying his face in it. The white scarf had the scent of vanilla essence.

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That night, not known to any member of group seven, Tala had used Ian to sneak out a key from a sleeping guard. When every one had slept, Tala quietly opened the door. The abbey was relatively new so the security wasn't so tight. Plus, where could the young boys go? There wasn't any way of escaping. Nor did anyone know the route.

Going in the same direction, where Ian had gone, Tala soon found the store room where he had once hidden himself from a few bullies who were later punished in the abbey. Quietly entering, he went forward as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He could finally make out a prone form not more than a few steps away, present on the floor.

Bending over him, Tala shook the boy, "Kai? Hey Kai..."

When he got no response, he gently hoisted him up, off the ground. Kai was about two or three months younger than him so how much could he really weigh? At the age of eight and half, he was still light. So Tala easily and silently bought him back to their room, relieved to see the others still asleep.

He went and lied Kai on the nearest bed which happened to be Bryan's. The small bed fitted the two boys and though Kai was unconscious, Bryan still pulled him a bit closer in his sleep, as if Kai was a stuff toy to be slept with.

Tala smiled lightly and making sure that his best friend was still breathing, he went to his own bed.

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"WHAT THE HELL! GEEZ!"

Spencer, Tala and even Ian were startled out of their dreamworld. They turned towards the now cursing Bryan who was...present on the floor with a pissed off and some what surprised expression on his face.

"What's wrong Bry?" Tala asked casually, trying to muffle his laughter.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?!" Bryan was almost yelling again as he pointed towards his bed, "I think I and only I slept on my bed last night."

Tala burst out laughing at the lilac haired boy's expressions. Spencer, though amused, went to check out what was Bryan's point. Ian clapped happily.

Spencer blinked as he looked at Bryan's bed. There was **something **or more like **someone ** on it, under the thin blanket, sleeping peacefully. As the blonde pulled the blanket back, he gapped in surprise, "Kai?"

"No way..." Bryan rubbed his head, getting off the floor.

Tala went to him innocently and poked his arm, "Looks like you wont regret that fight of yours Bry." He offered a smile.

Bryan looked at the red head suspiciously before glancing at the figure present on his bed, "Yeah, right." His voice was much lower now.

"Looky Byan, Aye come back!" Ian bounced happily as he pounced on Bryan from behind. With a "Hey!" Bryan pulled him off himself and went to see if it really was Kai. As he gingerly touched a shoulder, he was startled to see a pair of glazed crimson orbs open and fixed on him.

"Hey Kai." Bryan greeted, bending over him a bit.

What Kai said next shook him to the core...

"Who are you?"

_**Well, here it is. R&R please, thankyou. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**_

_**Rose out.**_

_**Until next time.**_


	8. Spirit of Life

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 8: Spirit of Life.**_

"What do you mean who am I?" Bryan snapped, "Stop playing around."

"This isn't the best time for joking Kai." Spencer cautiously stepped forward.

Cold crimson eyes turned towards them both as Kai looked at them blankly, his face void of any emotions.

"Kai?" Tala went to place a hand on his shoulder but his hand was slapped away, "Kai, what's wrong?"

"I don't know anyone of you." Kai got up, leaving the bed and going for the door. But before he could do anything, Bryan jerked him back, his grip tight on the boy's collar.

"Let go." Kai's voice was cold and indifferent.

"Take one more step and you'll regret it." Bryan hissed.

A bitter smile danced on Kai's face as he glared at the lilac haired boy without saying anything.

"What the hell is wrong with you Kai?" Bryan shook him roughly.

"Bryan, stop it." Spencer tried to calm him.

Tala had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at Kai, "Don't you..." he whispered, "Don't you remember us Kai? Don't you even remember me?" His voice was pleading.

Kai turned his gaze at the red head, pondering over the answer, "I don't know."

"Stop kidding around Kai." Bryan glared only to receive a death glare himself.

"Aye..." A tearful Ian came forward and hugged Kai. With Ian being short and hugging a tall Kai , it was quite a funny scene but not at the moment. Kai hesitantly placed his hand on Ian's back. His face remained impassive.

"Aye know me?" Ian asked expectantly, looking at Kai with wide eyes.

Kai pursed his lips, "Not your fault." He finally managed to say.

"Huh? Aye not Ian's Aye? Ian love Aye." Ian tried again.

Kai sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Look Kai," Tala took hold of Kai's shoulders, not letting go even when Kai tried to get out of the grip. The red head was looking at him square in eyes, "You know what Bryan said was wrong. It shouldn't have happened. But you have to forgive him. You _**must **_forgive him. I know it's not easy for you but still...you have to come back Kai or this abbey will break you."

After delivering his speech, the red head searched his best friend's face for some sort of reaction. He found none except a sharp intake of breath when he mentioned the last part about the abbey.

"We wont press you to tell us what happened back there between you and your grandfather." Tala continued. He could feel the shoulders slumping under his grip, "You might hate us Kai but we have to stay together if we want to live through..."

"Why don't you understand?" Kai snapped, lifting his head up sharply, "I can't stay with you guys."

"And why is that?" Bryan asked in a venomous voice.

"Because if I stay, I'll be breaking you guys apart. Can't you see...I'll harm you all. As long as I stay, I'm a threat for you...each and everyone of you. I'll just leave you guys and..."

Before Kai could finish his sentence, he felt himself being pulled into something warm. Stopping abruptly, he felt his chest tightening as Tala hugged him close, placing a hand on his neck and guiding his head on the orange covered shoulder.

"I...I'm not worth anything." Kai's muffled voice clenched Tala's heart.

"Don't say that. You're worth more than you think. You just don't know yet." Tala's voice was soothing as he gently rubbed his back.

"Ian love Aye!" Ian piped up again.

"Not just you Ian, we all do. No matter what you do or say Kai, we'll always cherish our friendship. I'll always cherish your companionship, my friend." Tala smiled as he felt his shoulder being soaked by something wet. The body in his arms shook as Kai sobbed, losing all his self-control.

"And besides, you're the one who..." Spencer started but was cut off by the presence on his left side.

"I'm sorry Kai."

"Bryan?" Tala didn't expect the lilac haired boy to apologize so easily.

"Yeah, it was my fault. I shouldn't have said that. If I kept my mouth shut, none of this would've happened."

Kai just cried silently in Tala's shoulder. He slowly sank to the floor, Tala still holding him.

Stroking his hair, Tala looked up at Bryan before looking back down at the boy in his arms, "Will you forgive him Kai?"

Kai shook his head.

"Why not?" Tala asked in the same comforting voice.

"Do-n't...wan-t t-to...bet-betray y-you." Came the answer in between sobs.

"No, you wont. We wont let you betray us Kai." Tala tightened his hold on the shivering boy.

"Really?" Kai slowly lifted his head to look at the red head who smiled in response.

"Of course. I promise Kai, I wont let you do it. I'll stop you just in time." Tala assured.

Spencer pushed Bryan lightly towards the two and with a defeated sigh, the lilac haired boy stepped forward. Reluctantly, he place a hand on Kai's back before hugging him from behind.

"I really am sorry Kai. I didn't mean what I said." He muttered.

"Aye san-wich!" Ian cheered.

"Huh?" Tala failed to translate.

"He means Kai has become a sandwich between you two!" Spencer interpreted.

Tala burst out laughing as well as Bryan who hugged Kai even tighter.

"Which sandwich Ian? There are many types of sandwiches." Tala asked the young boy, amused.

Ian thought for a while before replying, "Ice-keem."

"Ice cream? More like Aye cream!" Tala laughed harder.

Bryan breathed out while laughing, "Of all the chicken, cheese, eggs, lettuce, mayonnaise and butter, you had to make him an ice cream sandwich?!"

"Ian love Ice-keem and Ian love Aye!" Ian told him seriously.

"Can't...breathe!" The quiet voice appeared from between Tala and Bryan making them laugh even more. Bryan quickly let go and Tala loosened his grip on Kai who took a deep breath and looked around, murmuring a 'Thank you.'

"Well, now then that's settled, what should we do now?" Tala looked at the others.

"My Aye play with Ian!" Ian told the red head before grabbing Kai's arm, "Aye happy?" He looked up into crimson orbs.

Kai blinked, "I...guess so."

"He's not a possession or something Ian." Spencer tried to reason with the young boy.

"No." Ian shook his head furiously, "My Aye! My Byan! My Tara! My Pencer! My Ian!"

Bryan looked at the youngest skeptically while Tala began to laugh like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm not yours." Bryan scowled.

"My Byan! My Byan! My Byan!" Ian pounded his foot on the ground.

"Okay okay, he's yours!", Tala laughed under his breath.

"What? Of course not!" Bryan glared at the red head only to change the glare in a sigh at the happiness in ice blue eyes.

"Okay, so what should we play?" Tala asked the youngest.

"Hm..." Ian furrowed his brow in concentration, "Hide and seek!"

"You know the only place to hide in this room is under the beds Ian." Bryan pointed out.

"Tag?" Ian tried.

"There's no space to run."

"Cards?"

"We don't have any cards."

"Chess?"

"Do we have the equipment?"

"Foo-ball?"

"How can we play football in this room?" Bryan face-palmed, "Right, let's play football, bed would be the goal post and you'll be the _ball_!"

Ian pouted, "Ian no ball. Ian...Ian...Ian Ian!"

"Yes, Ian is Ian Bry! How could you forget that?" Tala looked at Bryan in mock seriousness.

"I know! Play bouncy horse!" Ian announced happily.

"What?" Bryan looked at Ian skeptically, "I'm definitely not going to be your horse!"

"Aye be Ian horse!" Ian told the lilac haired boy as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

"What did I do?" Kai begged for mercy on his poor soul.

"We'll do rock, paper, scissors." Tala told the others, not wanting to miss he spectacle. They could do with some funny moments to keep living.

"Fine." Bryan grumbled.

So it began and the score was as follow:

ROUND ONE:

Bryan vs Spencer...

Paper vs rock.

Winner: Bryan.

ROUND TWO:

Kai vs Tala...

Rock vs scissors.

Winner: Kai.

ROUND THREE:

Kai vs Bryan...

Scissors vs paper.

Winner: Kai.

"Looks like you lose Bry!" Tala smirked.

"What?! You cheated Kai!" Bryan frowned.

"Accept your fate Bry!" Kai smiled lightly.

"Okay Ian, your bouncy horse is ready!" Spencer told Ian with an amused smile.

"Yay!" Ian cheered and within seconds, the three older boys forced Bryan into a crouched position and Ian was settled on the lilac haired boy's back.

The room was filled with laughter as Bryan had to move against his will. Ian was more than glad to have such a strong horse and every now and then, he commanded the poor horse to turn, speed up, slow down, or jump.

Bryan suddenly got an idea and while walking at a normal pace, all of a sudden, he stood on his legs, using his hands to grip Ian's small arms around his neck.

"Horsey?!" Ian gulped as he was lifted higher, sticking on his horse's back.

"Sorry Ian, the horse is out of control!" Bryan told Ian, "Neeeeeeehhh!" With the battle cry, the horse began to run and jump across the room.

Tala was rolling on the floor with laughter. Kai was sprawled on the bed in a fit of giggles. Spencer was smiling broadly, amused by his brother's antics.

"Haut horsey! Haut horsey!" Ian ordered.

"Horsey can't halt Ian! Horsey lost control! Horsey has gone wild!" Bryan told his rider.

Ian gulped before looking around for help. When he found none, he finally looked at Tala, "Tara, help Ian!"

"Alright! Here comes Tara the knight!" Tala jumped into action.

Bryan froze. Knight? Did he hear the word right? Knights were meant to sit on horses. Did this mean his poor back was going to...

"Oh no no no no no no no no no no no! Of course not! You're not going to crush my back Tals!" Bryan searched for an escape.

"Not just me! Knight Tara has help too! Here comes...Warrior Kai!" Tala pulled Kai off the bed, taking the boy with him.

Not just Tala...but Kai too?! Bryan's mind screamed at him to find an escape route soon. But before he could do anything, he was practically being crushed by Tala and...surprisingly Kai too who had simply collapsed on him as he tripped over.

"Who's the sandwich now Ian?!" Spencer smirked from where he stood.

The jumbled heap of mass was laughing endlessly, out of breath.

After helping each other up, they all decided to sleep now. And sleeping contently, they never knew how deep their friendship was going to be, engraved within their hearts and souls. They sure were going to learn to keep their spirits alive.

_**So here it is! R&R please! This was just a random chappie which you peeps hopefully enjoyed.**_

_**Rose out!**_

_**Until next time! **_


	9. Passion of Life

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 9: Passion of Life.**_

"Sir, I believe the boys are ready for their purpose."

"Is that so? Very well then, bring them to the...rooms."

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"What's going on?" Tala gulped.

"I don't know. They're taking kids into those weird and forbidden rooms. And when the kids come out, they're...changed." Bryan glanced around worriedly.

"Byan save Ian." Ian declared before clutching Bryan's hand in a death grip.

"Ow Ian! You've stopped the blood flow in my hand!"

" 'Hep' Ian."

"How am I supposed to help you?"

"Be quiet." Spencer hissed worriedly as a guard approached them.

"So...which one of you first?" The guard looked at the young boys maliciously.

"Bring them all." A voice suddenly appeared on the speaker.

"Huh? Oh...okay." The man reached over and soon Group 7 was dragged into the room.

The gray walls hid extensive complex machinery in them. The five boys looked around nervously.

"Well hello boys." Boris greeted them with a sweet...a dangerously sweet voice.

Before they could do or say anything, all of them were grabbed by the guards working there and shoved into five cylindrical pods. Without giving the boys a chance to prepare themselves, oxygen masks were placed on their faces and needles were stabbed into their bodies at multiple areas.

Their pained expressions soon melted as unconsciousness took over them.

The scientists operating on machines there did some tests and each boy's stats were displayed above there cells on the screens. Within a few minutes, the stats changed into images. Five images of fearsome creatures.

"Sir, something is not right." A scientist walked over to the purple haired man.

"What is it now?" Boris spat impatiently.

"The bit-beasts...they chose the boys themselves."

"Don't be ridiculous, that's impossible."

"It's true, Sir. They wont let us choose for them like we did with all the other boys."

Boris looked at the screens out of boredom and suddenly, his eyes widened, "No way...could it be...but how..."

Forgetting everything else, he walked over to the screen, "Hm...interesting."

Turning around, he ordered, "Do as it is. Let the creature choose."

"B-but sir..."

"Are you deaf? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"N-no sir. As you wish."

In a couple of minutes, the screens as well as the pods began to glow. It died down after a few seconds and in front of the pods in some special holders, appeared five metallic chips. Each having a picture on them.

"Completed sir." A scientist informed Boris who gestured to take the boys back into their room.

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Tala groaned as he woke up. There was a faint throbbing in the back of his head. He looked around and as expected, his brothers were beside him in sprawled out positions...unconscious.

He reached out to the nearest and shook the shoulder of what appeared to be Kai. Crimson eyes fluttered open before Kai shut them again, tightly.

"You okay?" Tala looked at him concerned.

"Head hurts." Kai sighed before sitting up slowly.

A groan was heard and in a few moments... "OW! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! I FEEL LIKE A TRUCK RAN OVER ME!"

"What the heck, Bry! Keep it down." Spencer shook his head as he rose from the hard and not so merciful floor.

"Hey...yo! Um...wake up...Ian...yo..."

They all turned to see Tala's failed attempts in waking Ian up. The young boy was sleeping contently...as if nothing had happened.

Bryan rolled his eyes, "That kid sure knows how to deal with the situations!"

Tala cautiously poked Ian's arm and was thrown on his back by the force of the youngest abruptly waking up and jumping in a fighting stance.

"What the...jeez Ian!" Tala whined and glared at the boy as he accepted Kai's hand to get up again.

" 'Inja' Ian!" Ian glared back, only this time, his face looked so funny, as well as his pose that the others began to laugh.

"I'll remind you how to be a ninja, you little..." Tala shook his head, stopping with a sigh.

"Hey Kai, what're you thinking?" Bryan looked at the crimson eyes boy. Receiving no reply, he called again, "Kai? Hey Kai...Kai...Kai...BLOODY HELL KAI ALEXANADER HIWATARI!"

Kai was startled out of his reverie and looked around.

Tala patted his back, "What's wrong? You just...sort of zoned out on us."

"Nothing, just thinking." Kai blinked.

"About what?"

"What happened to us in that room...how did we all black out. And what had happened in those cells." Kai shivered involuntarily.

"Don't know but whatever happened, let's hope it doesn't affect us much." Tala shrugged.

"Sure." Kai mumbled.

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"Pencer Pencer! Let's go." Ian bounced up and down in the room.

"Stop it Ian, it's not like we're going to train for the first time." Spencer sighed.

"But they say it be 'pacial'!" Ian emphasized.

"How much special can it get Ian?" Bryan spoke up from where he was stretching his arms out of boredom.

"Byan, we go." Ian strode over and poked Bryan on what he thought would be his chest but unfortunately, his height forced his to poke the lilac haired boy's stomach instead.

"Don't tickle me!" Bryan frowned.

"Ian no tickle!" Ian retorted back.

"Yes you do!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Jes!"

"See! You agreed that you tickle!" Bryan pointed out.

"Ian not!" Ian scowled.

"Stop it both of you." Spencer intervened to stop the battle of rants.

"Poor Ian got so caught up in the tongue twisting conversation!" Tala grinned wolfishly.

"Time to go." Kai took a deep breath as their room's door was opened.

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Today's training was special indeed. They all got their own new beyblades. Group seven was the most happiest one as they all launched the metal tops for the first time and felt a strange new energy flowing through them.

All their blades circled in the beydish, attacking others and emerging victorious.

"WOLBORG!"

"FALBORG!"

"WYBORG!"

"SEABORG!"

"DRANZER!"

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When they returned, they all had to agree that even though it was a hard and tiring day of training, they had fun.

Lying on their beds, each of them was holding their new beyblade, lost in thoughts.

When the boys did sleep, they had no idea that on the sides of their beds were four glowing chips, present in the center of their beyblades and what was sealed within the chips. They just knew that they were going to enjoy this stuff, but they never knew it was going to become a passion for their lives.

_**SHORT!**_

_**Agreed. But don't hurt me coz I just wanted to update...finally! And I've got a massive stupid writer's block so gimme some time and gimme some reviews too! **_

_**Rose out!**_

_**Until next time!**_


	10. Drastic Changes under Cover

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the ashes.**_

_**Chapter 10: Drastic Changes under Cover.**_

_**After a few months...**_

"Hey Tala..."

"What is it Bry?" Tala turned over to look at the lilac haired boy who seemed to be in a pensive mood.

"Some thing's not right." Bryan shifted his gaze at the red head.

"Like what?" Tala tilted his head in confusion.

"Like..." Bryan pondered, "Have you noticed how distant and cold Kai seems now?"

"I don't know Bry. Maybe he's just grown up." Tala blinked.

"So? It's not like we're all still kids. But we respect our friendship. I think...his priorities have changed now." Bryan turned towards the other boy.

"What do you mean Bry? You know Kai's not the most talkative one among us." Tala was quick to defend his best friend.

"But haven't you seen? He trains twice as us. And...frankly, I've noticed that he tries to hide his...I don't know how to put it...but I think he's punished more than any other kids around here." Bryan sighed.

"Maybe it has something to do with Voltaire. And now that you've mentioned it, I too have sometimes seen blood on his clothes." Tala guessed.

"You know, we might have to confront him...today." Bryan decided in a final and defiant tone.

"Perhaps. Let's give it a try." Tala began to fumble with his beyblade, secretly hoping that it wasn't as he feared. Kai was not going to leave them and was turning cold just for that...he couldn't do that...he'd never do it.

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Kai rubbed his eyes hastily, forcing them to turn the same color as his irises. He didn't want to blow up his cover and show his friends what he was going through.

_**FLASHBACK...**_

"_You will do as I order, boy. I'm sure you don't want your pathetic little friends to...shed their blood for someone like you." The venomous voice was followed by a menacing laugh._

"_Don't you dare harm them. The deal was between just you and me. No one else should be a part of it...not now, not ever." This voice was younger and filled with anger and hatred._

"_Don't tell me what to do! Try anything...anything foolish at all and I personally guarantee that you'll regret it. I will not tolerate your stubborn antics." The voice hissed._

"_I damn care about your plans. You can...you can take me in their place. That way, our contract will not be broken." The voice became a bit hoarse by the end of the phrase._

"_Really? Is that so? Sounds...interesting. I think I'm going to have more fun now." The sentence trailed off as sounds of lashing whips, dragging something and ragged breathing were heard in the background._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Kai grimaced as he felt the wetness under his shirt. He could feel the crimson liquid sliding freely on his pale skin. The pain wasn't helping at all. He tried his best to keep his face emotionless as the guard opened the door to his room. Entering inside, he gritted his teeth to keep himself from screaming in agony but he couldn't hold in a small whimper.

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Tala's eyes snapped open as he heard a slight whimper. Looking in the right direction, he saw the person he had been waiting for. Getting up the bed, he made his way over to the teen.

"Kai?" The red head felt more concerned when Kai refused to look him in the eyes.

"Kai, come on. Look at me. What's wrong?" Tala forgot he wanted to ask Kai about his recent behavior as the teen stumbled forward and collapsed in his best friend's arms.

"What the...Kai? Kai...Kai..." Tala trailed off, gasping as he felt something soaking his shirt's sleeve. It was the arm he had around Kai's back. With a shudder, he turned his head to call Bryan, "Bry...Bry help me here."

The boy woke with a groan and looked in the direction of his friend's voice. Looking at the sight, he forgot to blink and any words he was forming were forgotten. He quickly left the bed and went over to the red head and the unconscious teen.

In a nick of time, both of them managed to get Kai on the nearest bed and that's when Tala got a chance to have a look at the damage on Kai's body.

Both, the boy's arms and legs were covered in new and old scars, some still bleeding, his back and chest were a proof that someone had recently used him as a whipping post, his skin was cold to touch and his breathing was ragged and shallow.

Curiosity replaced by worry, Tala put his own concern to a side and set to work with Bryan. In a couple of minutes, they stripped Kai out of his blood-soaked shirt and crimson-tainted scarf.

"That's wild." Bryan muttered as he gingerly touched a fading scar.

"You're telling me." Tala gritted his teeth, "Whoever did this to him will pay."

Bryan chose not to reply but the glint of determination and desperation in Tala's ice blue eyes was not hidden from his observation.

"_But...I don't understand_." Tala continued thinking, "_I mean, he's the best blader in the whole abbey and still...all this...what are Boris and Voltaire up to? Plus not even we are punished like this...hey wait...no...no...scratch that, we're not punished at all in last few weeks, even when Ian had his blade damaged and when I accidentally messed up that beydish while training...how's that even possible? Could it be...that Boris...or Voltaire...or both...take out their anger on Kai...instead of someone else...but why would they do that? Ugh...this is so frustrating. That's it...Bryan's right, I'm going to confront Kai once he wakes up and pry this information out of him. Being his best friend, I'll make sure I know what he's going through. He can't get rid of us...can't get rid of __**me**__ by putting up a cold facade...I wont let him."_

Reaching the decision, Tala stopped the racing wheels of his mind and focused on the task at hand. Together with Bryan, the two managed to fix Kai's wounds as best as they could, cleaning the blood and bandaging them with their limited resources. It wasn't enough but it was still better than nothing.

Bryan finally sat back with a heavy sigh, "There, all done. Now what?"

"Now..." Tala brushed back the stray hair from his best friend's pale face, "Now we wait."

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_**(A/N: Just so you peeps don't wonder, Spencer and Ian have been moved to a separate smaller room. Their old room is no more. Being stronger than others, Bryan, Tala and Kai have another room and Spencer and Ian are in another one so stop freaking out!)**_

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Black...that was all he could see. But among the black was a familiar face, flaming red hair and ice blue eyes. He could recognize those features anywhere. Those were the opposite contrast to his own features...blue hair and crimson eyes. But...there was a voice too...

"_But...I don't understand_. _I mean, he's the best blader in the whole abbey and still...all this...what are Boris and Voltaire up to? Plus not even we are punished like this...hey wait...no...no...scratch that, we're not punished at all in last few weeks, even when Ian had his blade damaged and when I accidentally messed up that beydish while training...how's that even possible? Could it be...that Boris...or Voltaire...or both...take out their anger on Kai...instead of someone else...but why would they do that? Ugh...this is so frustrating. That's it...Bryan's right, I'm going to confront Kai once he wakes up and pry this information out of him. Being his best friend, I'll make sure I know what he's going through. He can't get rid of us...can't get rid of __**me**__ by putting up a cold facade...I wont let him."_

_**(A/N: Sigh...yes yes, what is going on here...no readers, I haven't lost my mind, being so close friends, the person with crimson eyes and blue hair indeed hears the thoughts of the person with red hair and blue eyes...How? I don't know myself...so zip it and read on!)**_

So he knew. He knew it all along. No...he just came to the conclusion right now. And he planned on asking him about it...like he'll tell...like he'll pay the price of revealing anything.

But then there was this pain...and something cool on his...forehead. And a warmth around one of his hands. What was going on? He had to break free of this realm of darkness. He had to...open his eyes and activate his numb senses once more.

Kai Hiwatari woke with a groan, warping back in the real world from his dreamland. While in his own reverie of looking around, he didn't realize he had knocked off a hand from his forehead and that some one beside him was holding his hand. He didn't register the persent near him as he struggled to get off the bed. However, his surroundings seemed to change as two pairs of arms restrained him from moving too much and prevented him from aggravating his wounds any further.

"Calm down Kai." That was the same voice.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Another gruff voice.

Kai finally blinked to clear his vision and turned to see Tala and Bryan holding him down.

"Just hold still for a minute and try to relax. No one else is here but us." Tala loosened his grip as the teen began to breathe heavily but stopped moving nonetheless.

Bryan let go of the boy too and sat back, looking at him sharply.

In a couple of minutes, Kai finally regained his composure but refused to meet anyone's gaze. This infuriated Bryan.

"Well Kai..." Bryan's patience was running thin now, "We demand an explanation here."

"About what?" Kai's voice faltered slightly.

"About this." Bryan pointed towards the cloth tied on Kai's arm, "and this..." he gestured towards the revealed scars.

"Nothing special." Kai shrugged. But on the inside, he hoped his brothers wont see through his cold mask. He tried his best to keep his emotions well hidden.

"Nothing special?" Bryan sneered, "Yeah right. I can see that. You better tell us yourself before we make you."

"I said it's nothing. I'm fine." Kai tried to get up again but a hand on his chest stopped him. He glared at the owner, "Tala..."

"Kai..." Tala replied coolly, "We want to help you. It's the only way to live here. You said you trusted me. You..."

"I lied." Kai cut him off. How could he tell them of the deal and make their lives a pit of hell? He had to leave his friends or make their lives unbearable. So he chose the first option just for the sake of his best friends. It was the least he could do. It was his payback for his past.

"You what?" Tala gaped at the words.

"I lied Tala. Anything I ever said or will say wont be true. I never wanted to be with you guys in the first place." Kai tried his best to keep his face void of emotions. Secretly, he knew on the inside that this phrase was somewhat true. He never wanted to have friends in fear that he'll end up breaking them. That he'll be killing their spirits. And worse...enjoying it. He was a threat...a danger to have around...a sword hanging above his friends' heads. He wasn't worth having friends. He shouldn't have known what friendship really meant.

"SHUT THE HELL UP KAI! Do you have any idea of what you're saying?" Bryan snapped.

"Stop yelling Bryan." Tala glanced at the lilac haired blader warningly.

"Tell your friend to stop spilling poison at us." Bryan's voice became venomous.

"Kai, you don't mean it, do you? I know you don't. I know you're doing this for some reason." Tala looked at his best friend expectantly.

"I think it's best if you leave me alone." Kai turned to leave, but not before his arm was trapped in a steel grip. Looking back, he gritted his teeth, "Let me go Tala."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Tala moved and grabbed both of Kai's arms. Their faces inches apart. Kai tried to look away but Tala held him still, forcing him to look in his eyes. When their gazes met, Tala saw swarming emotions in the crimson eyes, pain, hurt, anger, hatred, sorrow, sadness, depression, fear, and most of all, crystalline drops present on the long lashes.

"Kai..." Tala pulled his closer, almost hugging him...almost, "Please. You've got to let me in. You're not alone. I'm here to look out for you. I know you didn't lie. I know you never lie. You are a true person Kai...an honest and fair blader. Therefore you must tell me." Tala's voice turned in a mere whisper by the end of the sentence.

Kai barely managed to keep his tears from escaping free from their prison. He felt his chest tightening as his voice was blocked by the sincerity, "I...I can't Tala." He finally choked out in a hoarse voice, "Please...don't ask me things I can't tell you."

"That's not the answer Kai." Bryan shook his head, coming to stand by the two teens, "You know sooner or later, you'll have to tell us everything."

"No!" Kai struggled as Tala embraced him tightly, supporting his blue shaded head on his orange covered shoulder. Kai shook as he desperately tried to break free of the hug but Bryan helped Tala to hold him down.

"Kai, calm down and listen to me. I wont force you to tell me but I think I know. Did Boris...or Voltaire tell you to do this?" Tala felt the teen's breath hitch at the question.

"Mhm fhmh hmfmh mhmf!" Came the muffled reply from Tala's shoulder

"What?" Tala looked at Kai's now tear streaked face, "Sorry, couldn't catch it."

"I said I can't tell you." Kai choked on a sob.

"And why not?" Tala asked as he rubbed Kai's back.

"B-Boris...a-and Vol-Voltaire to-told me...not to..." Kai tried to force back the sobs.

"What? No way..." Bryan's eyes widened.

Kai took the chance and with a desperate move, he pushed back both, Tala and Bryan and made a run for the door. Too shocked to do anything, the two boys tried their best to stop him but before they could, Kai was out of the room where a guard waited for him.

Kai looked at the guard through blurry eyes only to find him taking off his metal mask and purple hair showing as he smiled evilly.

The last words Tala caught were "Farewell...break you...sorry...black Dranzer..." The phrase was incomplete. Kai had said it in between sobs making it hard for the red head to understand and make sense of the words.

And so...group seven was left speechless, trying to cope with Kai's betrayal as they tried to believe what they had just heard and witnessed.

_**TBC**_

_**Well? Unexpected? It was unexpected for me. When I began writing this chap, I had no idea it will turn out like this. Liked it? Or not? Please leave a review and tell me. Also, I'll welcome and appreciate it if anyone has suggestions or ideas. I'm kinda lacking inspiration. I even thought about discontinuing this story but thank 'skyressshun' for bringing me back on the track! :)**_

_**Rose out!**_


	11. Free Phoenix?

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 11: Free Phoenix?**_

"_Kai...why did you do it? How could you betray us like that? I trusted you...Kai...KAI DO YOU HEAR ME...I TRUSTED YOU..."_

The voice faded as he woke up in cold sweat, panting hard. With a shaking hand, he touched a tear stained cheek, his lips trembling.

"T-Ta...Tala...I'm...sorry..."

He couldn't stop himself as crystalline drops trailed on his cheeks once more. A salt drop slipped across a scratch on his cheek and stung but he didn't feel it. He was going numb. The turmoil inside of him...the pain in his heart was greater than any other and worse than he had ever suffered.

He sobbed again as his breath hitched, "Why me? What did I do to deserve all this?"

Even though his question was directed to no one in particular, he still wanted someone to answer him...to hug him once more and tell him it would be okay...that he'll be fine...that it was alright to cry...but no soothing words appeared to comfort him. It was just the silence which was occasionally interrupted by his broken sobs as he pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face and crying.

In his state of mind, he didn't realize as a presence appeared out of now where beside him. He jerked as a hand touched his shoulder and slapped the hand away.

"Enjoying your time?" The extra-ordinarily calm voice seemed like the music of apocalypse.

"Why wont you leave me alone?" His rhetorical question was followed by a sob, "I don't need you."

"But I think you do need me, _Kai..._" The voice showed amusement.

"I DON'T NEED YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE? I'M TIRED OF ALL THIS...JUST...LEAVE ME!" Kai couldn't keep himself from screaming at the new presence.

He began to breath heavily and sobbed as the presence caressed his cheek, "I don't want to leave you, Kai...accept it already and we can be together. Just...let me in your mind and..."

"SHUT UP!"

"And we can do..."

"JUST SHUT UP!"

"We can take over the whole world if..."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"My twin was weak. She deserved..."

"DAMN YOU TO HELL!"

The presence tsked, "Now now young Kai...it's not nice to use such language with someone like me who is simply the definition of word 'power'. You need to respect me."

"I'm _forced_ to respect you." Kai corrected bitterly.

"It would not have come to this, had you allowed me to take over in the first place." The figure kept talking calmly, as if they were having a friendly chat.

"I'll never let you corrupt me. Just leave me alone." Kai slammed a fist on the unforgivably cold, hard floor. As a result, he was forced to clench his teeth at the cruel pain that ripped through his hand and wrist. He bent over his hand in agony.

"Poor poor Kai...look where his anger led him. That's why emotions should be blocked. They make you weak...they make you feel pain." The dark figure taunted again.

"GET OUT OF HERE! LET ME LIVE MY OWN LIFE, DAMNIT! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kai lost control once more and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Awe...I think you've damaged your throat _dear _Kai. I can't hear your voice clearly." The figure laughed.

Wind blew outside shrilly and through the small window, moonlight shone in the cell. The light made the features of two forms visible. One was shaking on the ground, blue hair scattered and skin pale, crimson eyes shut tight in turmoil. The other was someone who could not be called human because of his sharp features and a mysterious aura of darkness radiating from him.

He was a boy. But not a young one or teenager. It was hard to tell his age. He had spiked black hair and was dressed in black. Black full sleeved shirt with a red, silver and purple flame printed in the middle, black jeans with silver linings, black sneakers, black fingerless gloves, a black cloak which had dark purple border. He had olive skin complexion and crimson eyes, just like Kai's but even more redder and seemed to pierce one's soul and shatter the spirit. He wore a silver stud in one ear and the hood of his cloak was present on his head.

In fact, he was very handsome but the darkness he gave was enough for anyone standing close to him for backing out and scooting as far away as possible.

Kai pounded his head on the floor several times. And screwing his eyes shut, he could hear voices...and see memories.

The day he met members of group seven...when they became brothers...when they helped him get up whenever he fell...when they supported him if he was breaking down...when they laughed together...when a certain red head hugged him...when they shared their moments of joys and hopes...

Kai raised his head slowly off the ground, a strange glint in his eyes.

"What is it? Are you ready to surrender?" The dark figure asked in mock hope.

"I would die rather than betraying my friends." Determination flicked in Kai's eyes as he stood and looked at the figure, "Black Dranzer...you are nothing compared to my will power. It ends here."

With a growl, he pounced on the bitbeast who fought back, shocked at the sudden change. Not giving him a chance, Kai trapped him in a choke hold and in a few moments, the dark creature was forced to retreat back in his bitchip in order to save itself.

Kai threw the metallic bitchip at the wall with full force. It wasn't damaged since it was a special type of metal but it did created a good deep dent in the cement wall.

Taking a deep breath, Kai stood. He had to get out of here. He needed to escape.

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"Sir, there were some strange voices from his room."

"What?!" Boris stood up from where he sat across Voltaire Hiwatari, discussing the abbey's progress and other plans.

"We believe he was just..." The guard hesitated, "taking out his anger. My partner has gone to give him food since it's been a week of his sta-"

Boris cut the guard off, who nearly gave the fact that Kai was starved for a week on purpose. He couldn't let it come in Voltaire's notice.

Voltaire raised an eyebrow, "Week of his what?"

"N-nothing sire. Forgive this fool. Young Kai is just reacting to the changes." Boris quickly covered up.

"I don't think that boy had a tendency to do that." Voltaire pursed his lips, "Boris?"

Boris stuttered, "Y-yes, my Lord. I...I'll check it out myself...excuse me for a moment."

With this, he was about to leave the room when an alarm set off somewhere and sounds of heavy footsteps occurred in the hall.

"What is that?" Voltaire stood too.

"I don't know. What is this?" Boris barked at a new person who appeared in the doorway.

"Sir...the...boy...he...es...caped...he...ran...ou t...side..." the guard panted, "when...I was...bringing...him...food."

"WHAT?! YOU IDIOT! NONSENSE! HE CAN'T FOOL OUR SECURITY! HE CAN'T FOOL US!" Boris pushed the guard aside and ran out of the room. He couldn't let Kai run away...he could not be allowed to leave the proximity of the abbey walls. He'd be forced to stay in his limits.

Going outside, he barked orders at the security guards as he went past them. Not having time to be fully armed, they took their guns and followed behind the director who seemed like a mad man, running through the snow as if there was a predator chasing him...or more like as if the 'Angel of Death' was behind him.

In far away distance, he could see a figure, which was running as fast as possible, sprinting through the woods as they entered the forest not much further from the building.

"Forget who he is! Just shoot him down if you have to! However, make sure he doesn't die because Lord Voltaire would want his grandson alive!" The purple haired man kept commanding as he slowed down to catch his breath. His guards would take care of that traitorous boy.

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The moment Kai heard heavy footsteps, he increased his speed, willing himself to move faster. He wont let anyone take him in again. He was a free phoenix...who cherished it's freedom. He will not let anyone capture him in a cage...he will not be prisoned.

Kai could feel chilled winds of Russia stinging his face. He could feel his body temperature dropping but he couldn't care less. All he wanted was to be free...to be invisible or something and just...by himself...not having to worry about anything.

What would his friends think? Probably that he has betrayed them...again. That he's nothing but a damned traitor. He smiled bitterly despite the intense situation.

Woods were easier to hide in but at the same time, hard to keep running at high speed as there were many obstacles on his way...mossy logs...rocks...small puddles of water...branches and twigs...he had to jump off these things every now and then.

Once, his foot got stuck in some thick tree roots, scattered on the ground. Trying to pull it out, he desperately gave it a hard jerk...causing sharp pains to engulf his ankle as he realized he had sprained it. Not caring, he continued running. He slipped in a water puddle and accidentally twisted his wrist as it came under his weight.

Biting his lip to keep away from yelling in pain, he desperately ran...ran to live a somewhat normal life.

All of a sudden, he heard a gunfire. His breathe was caught in his throat as another 'boom' sounded, making the birds leave their nests and fly out of the trees, protesting about the sudden disturbance in their peaceful atmosphere.

Kai took a sharp turn and cursed as he bumped in a tree...hard while trying to look back at his chasers. The people pursuing him were getting close. He tried to get up but hissed in pain as his ankle refused to bear any weight.

Kai stumbled to get up hurriedly as he heard crunching leaves under heavy footsteps. As he ran...more like limped once more, a sudden hot, white pain engulfed his leg, threatening to knock his out as his almost...almost screamed in agony. Looking down at the rapidly flowing blood down on his leg, between his knee and ankle, he knew the dreaded that fact...there was a bullet in his leg.

Swallowing, he willed himself to run, but his body decided not to co-operate with his racing mind. And he staggered forward, gripping a nearby tree's rough branch to steady himself and regain balance.

The voices were even more nearer, his blood stains on the ground would give him away. Kai panicked at the thought.

He was about to be taken back to the hell prison he just escaped.

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"Hey Rei, do you hear that?" A boy with navy hair stopped abruptly and looked at his companion.

The other boy with black hair and amber eyes stopped too and listen, "What's going on Tyson? It sounded like a..."

"A gunfire." Tyson completed for him, "Should we check it out?"

"I don't know Ty. It's risky." Rei was a bit unsure.

A pain-filled scream echoed in the air, followed by a 'thump' somewhere near them.

"What was that?! We've got to help whoever it is, Rei." Tyson pulled his friend's hand, "Come on."

"Right." Rei nodded and the two ran towards the general direction of the scream.

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Kai could feel his sight blurring as his surroundings became hazy. He was feeling light-headed and felt like he was under water, listening to distant sounds when in fact, they were very close to him.

His leg was literally on fire. His wrist hurt, his ankle made him limp and stumble. But he still ran, he continued his race. However, soon...very soon, darkness swarmed his mind. He forced his body, not to shut down on him but he couldn't think straight. He misjudged the distance since things doubled up in front of his eyes. Stars appeared...bright spots danced across his vision and even when he tried his best, he tripped over a rock and collapsed, panting hard. This was it. It was all over now. His life ended here. He was sure to die now.

Kai allowed his body to succumb to the darkness. Maybe then...maybe then, he wont feel much pain if he died. Maybe he'd die peacefully.

_**TBC!**_

_**YAWN! **_

_**Rose out!**_

_**Until next time!**_


	12. Breaking the Cage

_**Hey there folks! Enjoy the chapter...however...REVIEW! ASIDE FROM SKYRESSSHUN, I NEED ATLEAST THREE MORE REVIEWS TO UPDATE THE NEXT CHAPTER. I'LL HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL IF YOU GIMME REVIEWS!**_

_**To Guen Haoru: Welcome to my story! And it's okay, as long as you review in future too! Cookies for you! And candies for you! And before I ramble on, let's get to your question...Tyson met Ray after Kai?! Hm...now that I think about it, there was a cloud in Japan, Tyson sat on it, it floated to China, Rei joined Tyson, the cloud continued to float towards Russia where they rescued Kai! Haha, just kidding my friend! To answer your question sensibly, well...for some reason which thanks to you (no offense! I mean my gratitude!) I'll think it up, Tyson, Max, Kenny and Rei were asked by Mr. Dickenson to be a team when they found out about beyblades. However, they needed one more member...so they randomly picked Russia for a vacation and while roaming in the forest, found Kai. Did that make sense? I'll think if Hilary will be in picture or not. Feel free to send me your suggestions, ideas, comments! I don't bite! **_

_**My apologies for late update but I was busy. Enjoy this longer chap! **_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 12: Breaking the Cage.**_

"Come on Tyson, hurry up. We've got to move faster."

"I'm trying." Tyson huffed as Rei left him behind, rushing to help whoever was out there.

Rei stopped abruptly, almost tripping over some_thing _on the ground. Bending over to examine it as it didn't look like a log or the roots, he gasped. After all, how many logs or root have you seen with blue hair?!

It was a boy...of his age...who was obviously hurt.

Rei turned towards Tyson who was catching up with him, "Tyson, I think I've found someone who needs our help."

Tyson looked at the prone form with wide eyes, "Is he...?"

"No, he's still alive." Rei knelt beside the unconscious teen, checking his pulse, "And he's lucky we've found him."

"Well, what are you waiting for, let's go. You take him and I'll distract the people who are after him." Tyson set up the plan quickly, "Oh man, I'm such a quick thinker! And you guys think I'm not smart!"

"It was obvious." Rei sighed, "What else could we do?!"

"Well, go on then! Shoo!" Tyson took out his new beyblade, he was recently given.

Rei hoisted the teen up gently, carrying him on his back and in a flash, he was gone.

Tyson glanced at the crimson pool where the boy had been and scrunched up his face. No one deserved to get hurt. Quickly covering the blood traces with some leaves and vines, he could hear heavy footsteps, thudding in the direction and got ready. However, at the last moment, he realized his smartness that he had forgotten his launcher on his bed!

"Uh-oh!"

That was all he could say as a well-built man with a gun spotted him and was immediately standing in front of him.

Tyson raised his head to look at the -what he called in his mind- 'macho man'.

"Oy! What the hell are you doing here kid?!" The guard barked at the teen.

"Uh...hi?!" Tyson rubbed his head sheepishly, thinking of another plan.

"You have no business here!" The guard snarled.

"Oh yeah?! It's not like you've this forest signed to your name!" Tyson retorted.

"What did you just say?!" The guard growled.

"You heard me! I have complete right to come here whenever I want!" Tyson declared, mentally patting himself on the back.

Now he was surrounded by about five guards. One of them glared at him, "Quit goofing around. Tell us what we need to know."

"How can I tell what you need to know?! You'll know yourself what you need to know!" Tyson replied innocently, snickering on the inside.

"Watch it kid! Have you seen a boy? A little older than you...blue hair...he was wearing blue jeans and shirt and a white scarf." A guard who probably was their leader questioned.

"Hm...never heard of one!" Tyson faked thinking.

"What were you doing here?! I know you came because you heard something!" The man glared.

"I came to observe the beauty of nature! My mommy sent me to pick berries! No, scratch that, do you see this cap on my head? My mom sent me to give some cake and juice to my grandma and I ran into you wolves who are telling me to go pick flowers for her too!" Tyson pointed at the man accusingly.

"What?!" The guard looked at Tyson as if he had grown a second head.

"You heard me!" Tyson huffed.

"Leave the kid boss...he's probably a mental case." Another guard pointed out.

"Hey! Watch it! I'm in my best health! And my mind is stable!" Tyson protested.

"Yeah, he doesn't know." The men seemed to talk among themselves. In a couple of minutes, they left. But not before threatening Tyson about revealing what he had seen and witnessed.

When they were finally gone, Tyson sighed in relief, "Whew! That was close! I better find Rei and that other guy. He was probably hurt."

With this, he left his spot, going to search for the Chinese teen.

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Rei was sprinting at full speed. The teen on his back was freezing and seemed lifeless, had it not been the slight rise and fall of his chest and heart beat.

Increasing his speed, Rei spotted his navy haired friend who had managed to find a shortcut out of the woods. They were almost out. Relieved, Rei called out, "Tyson!"

"Huh?! Oh, hey Rei! How's it going?" Tyson looked up.

Rei landed in front of Tyson and re-adjusted his grip on the unconscious teen.

"How is he?" Tyson glanced at the unknown boy worriedly.

"Cold...hurt...needs rest." Rei analyzed.

"Let's go." Tyson led the way and both of them supported the boy out the woods.

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"Hey chief, what's up?" A blond boy was sitting on a couch, flicking through TV channels out of boredom.

"Nothing special Max. I'm trying to see if I can balance this quadratic equation through equilibrium by using the formulas I derived from the logarithm table!" A brown haired shorted boy replied from where he sat, typing on the small laptop computer in his lap.

_**(A/N: Okay guys...I'm kinda...against maths! I hate this twisted thing. Hopefully you wont be offended by this statement above. I personally know it's not possible but since I could use up some hard terms...I did! However, any of you geeks out there...can try this method and tell me what's the result!)**_

"Whoa whoa whoa! Give me a break Kenny! I don't understand a word you're saying!" Max raised his hands in exasperation.

"I'm saying if I..." Kenny was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Huh?! Did I just heard a knock?" Max raised his head.

"Yeah. Can you please get it. I'm kinda busy here, trying to bal-"

"I know I know...balance some formula by a table of equal...equar..."

"Equilibrium!"

"Yeah...that." Max sighed.

"Equilibrium doesn't have a table, Max." Kenny pointed out wisely, "And I'm not trying to balance a formula...I'm trying to-"

"Stop messing with my head! This is like a tongue twister!" Max shook his head.

The door knocked again.

"Whoops! Almost forgot!" Max went to answer the door while Kenny resumed typing, muttering something about data and his futile efforts of explaining things to others.

Max opened the door half way and saw a familiar face, "Oh, hey Ray. Come on in. Where's Tyson?"

It wasn't until he caught glimpse of an _arm_ around Ray's neck. It wasn't Tyson's, he knew it. Since when did Tyson wore black gloves?!

"What the...who..." Max fumbled with the words.

"Can we come in Max? Tyson will explain it to you." Ray requested.

"Oh, yeah...right." Max opened the door completely, fully exposing the unconscious teen his both friends supported. Since the head was bent low, Max only saw dual colored blue hair, a white scarf, pale skin and clothes which consisted of dark blue jeans and navy blue shirt.

Ray and Tyson went in, avoided the living room, going straight to the closest bedroom which happened to be Ray's and left Max by the door.

After Tyson helped Ray lie the boy in the bed, Ray told him to go and explain things to Max and Kenny while he himself decided to fix his wounds.

As Tyson left, Ray quietly closed the door so any noise wont disturb his concentration and began to work. Getting some water in a bowl, he took a cloth and began to clean the blood, hearing sharp intake of breathe every now and then. As Ray removed the scarf and shirt, he was left speechless at the amount of scars...some new...some old and fading...on the boy's exposed body. Not wanting anyone else to know, Ray quickly and efficiently tended to the wounds as best as he could. He fixed the sprained wrist and ankle. And resolving to help the teen as much as he could, he took out the bullet from his leg, earning a whimper of pain. Nevertheless, the Chinese boy finished quickly. Placing a hand on the boy's forehead, he frowned as he felt heat under his hand. Placing a damp cloth on the burning forehead, Ray silently crept outside, leaving the boy to rest.

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With everything explained, the group sat, waiting for the mysterious teen to wake up. It happened much sooner than they had thought.

They decided not to ask help from a hospital unless necessary because it could involve police too.

All of a sudden, Ray heard a smashing sound and rushed towards his room telling the others to stay behind in case they upset the new boy. Entering inside, he blinked in the dark before turning on the light. There, on the bed, was the boy. But now, he was sitting upright, alert and had folded his legs up to his chest, as if wanting to shield himself. There was a broken glass on the floor beside the bed.

"Hey there." Ray tried the calmest voice he could ever manage, "I'm so glad you're awake."

The boy just stared at him...more like glared and Ray found himself looking into deep crimson eyes.

"Um..." Ray tried again, "How're you feeling?"

Again no answer.

Ray sighed, "I'm not gonna hurt you, you know...I'm only trying to help you."

When he still got no reply, Ray frowned, "Do you...know English?"

The boy gave a tentative nod.

"Then...why aren't you answering?"

He received a glare in return.

"Um...can you talk?!"

Another nod.

"Then please say something! What's your name?" Ray didn't expect to be answered but he was rewarded with one.

"Kai." The voice was deep and quiet.

"So...Kai...apparently you're Russian." Ray analyzed.

Kai looked at his surroundings and threw Ray a questioning look.

Ray opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself. Two could play the game, "What do you want to know?" He hid a smile as Kai glared.

Kai turned away as he didn't get a reply.

Ray smiled, "Well? I know you want to know something...what is it?!"

"Leave me alone." The phrase was muffled by the sheets and pillow.

"That's not the answer...Kai." Ray hid his amusement.

Receiving no reply, Ray sighed.

Kai tried his best to kill his curiosity but...in the end, curiosity killed the cat! And before he could stop himself, words escaped his mouth, "Where am I?"

Ray smiled broadly and went to sit by his side, a bit startled as Kai flinched. However, Ray made himself comfortable and began the explanation, "You're safe now. This is...um...a home where we live! We meaning Me, Tyson who helped you too, Max and Kenny. This is mainly Tyson's...dojo you can say but since his grandfather is mostly out of city, we on our own here. I cook food mostly, because others are not that smart! And usually, I'm the one fixing them up...just like I fixed you..." Ray gestured towards the bandages on Kai's arms, and visible on his chest under the sheet, "And...um...I don't know if you know about...spinning tops? Beyblades? Bitbeasts? But we use them. We are a team but we need one more member. We lack a captain too." Ray chuckled nervously as crimson eyes bore holes in his soul, "We try to practice on our own sometimes but fail miserably if you ask me. And..." Ray trailed off, thinking what else to tell.

Kai tried to get up instead of his resting position. The other boy tried to stop him but he ignored. He was surrounded by strangers who were a bunch of strange weirdos! He wanted to get out of here, but where else could he go? And so, he simply replied as Ray tried to stop him, "Just out of this room."

The limited detail was enough for Ray to understand the commanding tone and he went after the dual haired teen who went in the living room where everyone else was. Kai wanted to change direction and go outside but Ray made him come to the living room.

"Alright!" Ray announced, "Time for introductions."

The audience cheered.

"This..." Ray looked at a bemused Kai and pointed towards a navy haired boy, "is Tyson. He usually thinks he's smart but...it's the opposite. It's a fact Tyson!" Ray glanced at Tyson who had protested, "He's Japanese."

'_Idiot!'_ Kai thought the word fit for the cocky boy.

"And here, we have Max. He's American and sometimes get hyper active so we have to hide the sugar away from him. But he's really cheery and worth having around." Ray smiled as Max waved his hand to Kai in a "Hi!" gesture.

'_Sugar high!' _Kai told himself.

"This is Kenny. We usually call him Chief because he fixes our beyblades...loves his laptop Dizzy...and is a genius nerd! Also Japanese and Tyson's school mate." Ray's frank words made Kenny go scarlet at words of appreciation.

'_Computer geek!' _Kai defined in his mind.

"And lastly, me. I'm Ray...Chinese...can cook...am good at medications too...and um..."

"More sensible...as Mr. Dickenson puts it! And a neko in Tyson's opinion!" Max added.

"Um...yeah!" Ray nodded to Kai, "And now, it's your turn."

'_Kitten? Kitty?! Thing!' _Kai concluded to himself.

At the questioning stares, he thought for a while before finally replying, "I'm Kai...Russian."

Tyson counted on his fingers, "Three words intro Kai?! Weird name, and obviously you're Russian since we found you in Russia! Tell us what we don't know."

Kai glared till switched to death glare and when Tyson scooted away, he went outside.

_**DONE! Read and REVIEW! I NEED REVIEWS!**_

_**Rose out until next time! **_


	13. The Task of Leadership

_**To my guest friend, Guen Haoru: Your review made me jump off my bed with joy! I'll always reply to you because reviewing is a BIG favor from the readers! I'm glad you are liking my story! And I don't have a big head so I always try to be kind and sweet! :) Enjoy!**_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 13: The Task of Leadership.**_

There was a knock on the door. Ray stood from the couch and stretched. The friends were watching a movie on TV. As the Chinese boy opened the door, he was given a tap on the shoulder from the visitor.

"Ray, my boy...how's it going?!" A chubby man entered the place.

"Hey Mr. D." Ray greeted back, "Come in."

"Sure."

Ray called the others, telling them about the visitor who was immediately taken aback by a chorus of "Hi/hello/hey there/yo Mr.D/Dickenson!"

The older man chuckled and returned the greetings before sitting on a nearby sofa comfortably. Looking at the familiar group of boys he had grown fond of, he finally acknowledged a new presence. A presence which triggered something in his memory...like a lost shadow.

"And who would you be, young man?" He asked in his usual polite way.

Kai glared at the older person. Why should he reveal his name to this stranger?!

"It's okay Kai. This is Mr. Dickenson." Max told Kai.

"Yeah, he's the one who made us a team. We're all quite fond of him. He introduced us to out beyblades." Ray explained with his toothy smile.

Kai didn't release the tension which was building up in his shoulders.

Mr. Dickenson smiled brightly at Kai, "You show potential of beyblading skills...urrr..."

"Kai." Kenny offered.

"Yeah...Kai." Mr. D rubbed his forehead, "But how did you boys got together?"

"We found him...in the woods. There were people chasing him and he was...well...injured." Ray summarized the whole story, "So Tyson and I brought him here. We thought it's best not to involve hospitals because that might become a police case."

"Ah, I see. You did the right thing. So Kai...how are you feeling now?" Mr. Dickenson turned towards the Russian teen.

Kai shrugged before heading outside but was stopped by the old man's voice, "You...are Kai Hiwatari?!"

Kai turned around slowly, crimson eyes locked with the other's small ones as he nodded hesitantly.

"Kai Hiwatari...as of Voltaire Hiwatari's grandson?"

Kai nodded again.

Mr Dickenson got up and approached the boy. He slowly touched his shoulder before embracing him. Kai was taken aback. No one aside from his...brothers hugged him.

"Oh..." Mr. Dickenson stepped back as Kai winced at the pressure on his wounds. "Sorry, slipped off my mind!"

"Never mind." Kai finally spoke up.

"Uh...Mr D...you know Kai?" Ray asked.

"Yes...but we haven't met face to face till now." Mr Dickenson laughed lightly, "Voltaire and I were mates. But then, we took separate paths and lost contact after sometime. He was more interested in his business. And I was given the BBA chairmanship so we separated our ways. However, he did tell me he had been blessed with a grandson named Kai Alexander Hiwatari in our last meeting."

Kai blinked. He had never heard this side of the story. He had always seen his grandfather as a cold, heartless and selfish person who held the greed of world domination.

"Wow! That's some...news." Tyson expressed his surprise.

"Yes...yes it is Tyson. I actually recognized Kai by his eyes." Mr Dickenson smiled warmly at the dual haired teen, "I had seen you in a picture, Kai."

Kai stared on, not knowing what to say. A few moments of silence passed.

Mr Dickenson tried to cut the awkwardness, "So...Kai, what happened?"

Like hell, he'll tell...Kai averted his gaze.

"He doesn't talk much. He hasn't told any of us either." Ray whispered.

"Oh, I see." The old man cleared his throat, "Kai...I assume Voltaire would've told you about beyblading...since he was quite a lot in it."

Kai tensed at the name but then nodded.

"Hm...do you have a beyblade?"

A nod again.

"Wonderful! Can I...see your skills?" Mr Dickenson came to the point, "In fact, why don't you all come outside, boys?"

"Great idea Mr D!" Max cheered.

"Oh yeah! Let's go." Tyson jumped off the couch.

The see-offed Kenny who had to go home soon and went outside.

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Even reluctant, Kai still displayed his impressive beyblading skills, despite his wounds. He was well aware of neko jin's worried glances, Max and Tyson's surprise and Mr. Dickenson's mumbling of 'excellent...would fit...remarkable...perfect..."

After the session, the old man cleared his throat and looked at the boys, "Now boys, I'm going to announce something."

"What is it Mr. D?" Max asked.

"I've given it enough thought and observed you all." Mr. Dickenson started.

"And..." Tyson pressed.

"And I believe I've found a captain for you."

"ALRIGHT! OH YEAH! I KNEW I WAS THE ONLY ONE FIT FOR THIS JOB! THANKS MR.D! YOU'RE THE BEST! I KNEW I WAS GONNA BECOME THE LEADER...YOU JUST WOULDN'T LISTEN! OH YEAH!" Tyson cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Max smiled.

Ray stared at Tyson, "Um...Tyson, the announcement hasn't finished yet."

"Oh, right!" Tyson grinned, "So, when are we going to announce it officially Mr. D? Let's celebrate now guys! I want to eat as much as I want to! After all, taking charge of leadership sure takes a lot out of a guy! I want to be fully prepared to began!"

"Oh my goodness...Tyson, give it a rest! You're not the one!" Mr. D spoke up in a hurry.

"Huh?!" Tyson paused in the middle of a creepy dance of joy with Max.

"You're not the captain, Tyson. You weren't the one I was going to name." Mr. D explained.

"Oh...then who? Ray?" Tyson's face fell as he guessed.

"No...Kai." Mr. D revealed calmly.

"Great...sounds awesome Mr. D...WHAT THE...WAIT A MINUTE!" Tyson raised his arms in the air, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"Oh boy..." Mr. D sighed.

"He said, Kai's our team captain, Tyson." Ray supplied.

"B-But...But why?! I mean...how?! Come on Mr. D...it's not fair!" Tyson whined, "We don't even know him properly and you made him our leader! Are you possessed or something?! What's gotten into you?!"

"I'm sure Kai is capable of handling all of you beyond our expectations, Tyson." Mr. Dickenson glanced at Kai who stood indifferently. However, a shadow of something had passed through his eyes, unbeknown to everyone else.

"But..."

"No buts Tyson. It's all settled now." Mr. D held up his hand, "I'll inform the BBA and we'll register you as a new team going with your previous name, the bladebreakers. As a team, I expect you all to give your very best and Kai..." the old man looked at the mentioned teen, "Can I have a word with you, young man?"

Leaving the newly formed team, Mr. Dickenson led Kai to a secluded area for a talk.

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"Are you comfortable with this decision?" Mr. Dickenson glanced at the boy expectantly.

Kai shrugged.

"Tell me, Kai...I really want to know. Please..."

"Why?" The quiet voice was barely audible.

"I want to make it clear Kai that I did not gave you this leadership because of your grandfather. I did it because I couldn't have asked for a better replacement. I've observed you Kai...and after studying everything, have made this decision. However, your agreement is dear to me too. If you cooperate, things can run smoothly. On the contrary, those boys wont be able to expose their talents and skills. They need guidance...and you're the only one I see suitable for the job." Mr. Dickenson stopped to take a breathe, "But I wont force you."

"I...don't know if I'm worth it." Kai muttered.

"You are worth far more than you think, my boy." Mr. Dickenson placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, "Don't worry about that. So, now that this is settled, anything you want to say?"

Kai shook his head.

"I see. So let's move on to this new road. As a leader, I expect you to give your very best. I'm giving you all rights and my personal permission to treat the team any way you want to." Mr. Dickenson's eyes twinkled, "Though I must warn you, Tyson can be quite annoying at times. Think you can manage?"

Kai let a small smile grace his lips, "Hopefully."

"Splendid! Now let's go back to your team." Mr. D stepped forward after patting the boy's shoulder and shaking hands with him.

The old man didn't hear the quiet murmur of "My team?" from behind as Kai was lost in thoughts.

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"This sucks!" Tyson sulked.

"Come on Ty! I'm sure it wont be that bad." Max tried to cheer up the navy haired teen.

"No...it would be worse Maxie! Can't you see...that...that guy...what do we know about him other than his name?!" Tyson fumed.

"Stop it Tyson. Mr. D decided on the basis of his own experiences as a chairman. I'm sure it's best for us." Ray looked at the two.

"The whole world is against me!" Tyson grumbled.

"Am I hearing an argument?!" Mr. Dickenson appeared from behind a tree.

"Uh...no sir." Ray smiled, "Tyson's just not coping!"

"Oh, I see." The old man chuckled, "Now boys, I'm sure you'll be very happy with my decision someday. Until then...behave! And Kai, take care of them lad! Don't let them break the team. And all of you...listen to your captain and be good! Now then, have fun!"

With good byes, the old man left.

"Okay...it's almost night now. What do we do?" Max asked.

"I'll make dinner and then...um..." Ray stopped to think.

"Bed...at nine thirty." Kai looked at the boys...well...more like glared.

"What?! But Kai..." Tyson closed his mouth after receiving a death glare, "Oh come on..." the teen groaned, "Apocalypse is approaching! I guarantee that!"

The boys went inside. And after Ray had cooked some pasta, they all ate in silence. Kai barely ate anything but kept his promise and made them all go to bed at exact nine thirty with an order, "Training...at six." This order was followed by protests but death glare silenced them all and they went to sleep. Two rooms...so as usual, Tyson and Max shared the room. Ray who before slept anywhere went to sleep in the other room and Kai brought his stuff there too when there was no other choice.

Lying down, the boy wondered over the events, thinking about future...trying not to think of his past...and quietly talking to Dranzer...the faithful phoenix.

_**TBC...**_

_**Read and REVIEW peeps! Ideas and suggestions are very much appreciated!**_


	14. Learning to Trust

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 14: Learning to Trust.**_

It was a windy day for the blade breakers. They couldn't exactly be called blade breakers at the moment but time breakers as they were all training in record time for the upcoming championships.

Kenny and dizzy had modified their beyblades giving the metal a new look and new style. But unfortunately,only Kai was able to control the updated version and Rei to some extent. The rest of the team was having a hard time. Their beyblades seemed to go astray,wobble and stopped spinning.

"Max,you aren't following the basics. You change your pattern."

"Come on Kai,I'm trying but Draciel changes course!"

Kai was getting tired of observing them and pointing out their mistakes. Eventually Rei managed to succeed and crossed a series of objects without hitting any one of them. He glanced at Kai,who seemed irritated with Tyson's constant whining for lunch.

"Hey Kai,I'll help Max." Rei offered,seeing his captain's expressions.

"Hn."

Rei took it as a yes and went to the other side of the ground where Max was picking up his beyblade which had stopped right after the launch. He repositioned it back and with an encouraging nod from Rei,pulled the ripcord again.

'Great,now Maxie's gonna train with Rei,who is much more nicer than Kai...what am I gonna do?!' Tyson was thinking.

"Train."

"What?!" Tyson's mouth fell open, "Hehe! Did I say that out loud Kai?!"

"Indeed. Now practice." Kai was looking through his soul. His crimson eyes glaring at the blader.

"Fine." Tyson grumbled.

He launched again and again but to no avail,frustrating him more than ever.

After watching numerous failed attempts,Kai finally thought about something, "Tyson,try hitting a target."

"What?" Tyson was picking up his blade.

"Try to aim at a spot."

"You mean,like that wall?"

Kai felt like smacking his idiot team mate back into his senses but stopped himself and simply gave his death glare,making the navy haired blader scoot away.

Tyson tried to aim at a tree and launched his beyblade towards the target. But soon after the act,he realized something rather...ahem...disturbing!

"KAI,WATCH OUT!"

"Huh...what the..."

Kai ducked towards the ground to dodge the sharp beyblade coming towards him with full speed. Max and Hilary stifled their cries,Rei gasped and Kenny simply yelled.

Kai straightened and was about to glare at Tyson when his sharp senses picked up a wheezing and buzzing sound as dragoon had used the wall behind to reflect itself towards the desired aim.

Having no other choice,Kai turned around and held out both of his hands in front of him and closed his eyes. The next moment,everyone gaped to see the blade spinning in Kai's hands and then,stopping.

"Whoa,awsome!" Max cheered.

"Way to go Kai!" Hilary joined Max.

"Hey Kai,you okay?" Rei asked the slightly panting teen.

Kai lowered his arms before throwing the motionless blade back towards it's master and glaring at him, "What was that?"

"What?" Tyson tried to sound as much innocent as possible.

"Don't pretend. I told you to aim a spot,not to target me!" Kai's glare turned to death glare.

"Ahehehe! Well...I guess...um...you know...dragoon just...lost control..." Tyson scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Dragoon couldn't lose control unless you lost focus,idiot! What were you trying to do?!" Kai was forcing himself to stay calm.

"Yeah Tyson,it was dangerous. Kai could've gotten hurt." Rei turned towards the navy haired blader.

"Hey,you're acting as if it was some sort of chaos and I did that on purpose! Hello,I warned him before the blade could hit him!" Tyson argued back.

"Tyson..." Max tried to say something.

"Are you taking his side as well?! Come on guys,have mercy on a poor,little,innocent,hungry,blading champion!"

"You forgot to mention idiot and dumb!" Kai stated dryly.

"Hey!" Tyson protested.

"Alright guys,enough of this. Tyson,you should apologize to Kai,and Kai,are you okay?" Rei attempted a patch up.

"Apologize...Oh come on,why me...it's not my fault,dragoon should say sorry!" Tyson whined.

"You should apologize on dragoon's behalf!" Hilary smacked him.

"No fair!"

"ENOUGH..." Kai commanded, "If that's your way of training Tyson,then it's fine by me. Repeat it."

"What?" Tyson looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"But Kai..." Rei tried to reason with the stoic captain.

"I said,repeat!"

"B...but...Kai...what if..."

"Repeat!"

"Fine,alright." Tyson sighed, "But don't blame me if something happens."

"Repeat!" Kai repeated.

With a slightly shaking hand,Tyson launched his blade again. The same thing happened and this time,Kai skillfully caught it and smirked before throwing it back towards Tyson, "Again!"

"Oh come on Kai,have you lost it..."

"I said,Again!"

Tyson obeyed and so,the process was repeated again and again till sunset.

Hilary was kinda new to the group so she asked Rei, "Kai is...wierd! How is he training you guys?"

"Just wait,I think he's doing it on purpose. Kai is the best captain and team leader we could ever have."

"Yeah,he's the reason we win all our battles." Max added.

"Urrr...right but how?"

"Kai is training Tyson in a way that we think is insane,but Kai knows what he's doing so no need to worry." Max replied the girl.

"Oh,okay."

It was getting dark outside now. But Kai and Tyson were still training. The rest of the blade breakers were having hot chocolate and waiting patiently.

Outside,Tyson's aim was getting cleaner and cleaner. Kai's hands were all scratched up rather badly due to catching the spinning blade again and again. He kept repeating instead of giving up.

At last,when Tyson managed to hit him straight in chest,dodging his hands,three to four times,Kai stopped.

"Well,what?"

"Enough for today." Kai answered shortly.

"Oh really? I thought you wanted to have more." Tyson muttered before going inside.

Kai simply glared and turned around to leave.

Rei glanced out of the window and quickly came out, "Kai...hey Kai,wait up."

The cold leader stopped and looked back. Rei reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You're not going anywhere with all these scratches. You'll make them worse. Come on,I'll bandage them."

The Russian blader declined the offer, "Forget it. I'm fine."

He was about to leave when Rei grabbed his lower arm from the least scratched area, "No,you're definitely not fine,Kai. When are you going to learn to trust your friends,I'm only trying to help you."

Kai wanted to give the Chinese blader a scathing reply but exhaustion took its toll and he stumbled,Rei immediately supporting him, "See,you're exhausted. Now come on,let's go."

Having no other choice,Kai let himself being leaded where ever they were going,which happened to be the bedroom,he and Rei shared.

Rei helped him to sit on the bed before retrieving the first aid kit and other equipment. He began to take off his blood stained gloves softly and started cleaning the deep cuts and scratches with a small cloth damped in hot water,making Kai wince at the pain from the process.

After a couple of minutes,the blood had been removed and Rei began to apply the medication on them,which was stinging sharply.

Rei eyed Kai who was gritting his teeth, "Hey,I know it hurts but just a little more. Almost done." He assured.

After spraying the wounds with different sprays,Rei finally stopped and took out the bandage. He bandaged Kai's hands gently and then gave them a light pat, "There,all done."

Kai took in a sharp breath at the sudden pain from the tapping but nodded rather reluctantly, "Thanks."

Rei heard the low whisper and smiled at him warmly, "No problem,buddy. That's what friends are for."

He saw Kai's eyes closing slightly before he opened them again.

"You should sleep,Kai. You need rest." Rei told him firmly before getting up and forcing him to lie down. He covered the annoyed teen with the blanket, "Sleep well." He ignored the tired but still death glare sent towards his direction and turned off the lights before leaving.

Kai sighed tiredly and shifted,thinking, "Well,they aren't that bad,are they Dranzer? I guess they do try to be my friend. Maybe someday,I'll learn to trust them. Until then,I'll try not to get used to them. They couldn't be as bad as the others I've met,right? Although they're still a bunch of weirdest people I've ever met,especially Tyson."

With this,he stepped into the abyss of darkness,nothing but just blank and empty darkness,hardly aware as Rei stepped inside the room and smiled at the sleeping form before brushing away the hair scattered on his painted cheeks.

The night had fallen and stars were twinkling brightly at the oncoming changes which no one had any idea about,not even a certain slate haired and crimson eyed teen with painted cheeks. The wind was cool and pleasant and it was quiet and peace all over.

_**Believe it or not, this was done in five minutes! How?! As if I'll reveal the secret! Read and Review people!**_

_**Rose out!**_

_**Until next time!**_


	15. Familiar Strangers

_**So...I'm back with what I think is the best written chap with the whole story! Enjoy! So...call it day-dreaming or night-dreaming or imagining...but any chance of me getting 99 plus reviews on this story?! Have fun!**_

_**Also check out the poll on my profile and vote, peeps coz it will decide your fate! **_

_**IMPORTANT: I...think I need...a Beta reader here...(I think that's the term) since it has come to my knowledge that this story...sucks! So...any one of you readers out there...either find me a Beta or...point out my mistakes in your kind reviews! Thankies!**_

_**Fall in the Fires, Rise from the Ashes.**_

_**Chapter 15: Familiar Strangers.**_

_After two years..._

The bladebreakers had fought and won many championships and got to know various other teams...White tiger X...F dynasty...barthez battalion...the majestics...and there was an unknown Russian team too, whom they never got a chance to battle with.

After arriving to Russia rather late since it was almost night, the team was just relaxing in the living room of the suite. Tyson and Max argued over TV's remote control, Ray just sat with his legs folded under him, looking like a sleepy cat, Kai was examining Dranzer, ignorant of everyone else and the TV was breaking the comfortable silence.

"Hey look!" Max suddenly pointed at the screen.

"Stop distracting me, Maxie!" Tyson attempted to snatch the remote.

"No, I'm serious, look." Max turned towards the TV, "It's the other teams."

"Oh...hey that's right." Tyson forgot the remote for a while.

They all sat and listened intendedly as the reported talked...

"_And so these are the teams which competed in the championships. As you can see behind me, we just have had the latest match in between F dynasty and a new entry, the Blitzkrieg boys. Even though these boys are new here, they're getting the hang of this. As you witnessed their impressive skills, we are now seriously doubting our famous 'Bladebreakers.' Even though these boys have proved themselves, with this new Russian team, who knows which one of them wins."_

"Just look at them," Tyson snorted in mild disgust, "They're just a bunch of weirdos."

"I don't know Ty. They look dangerous." Max observed.

None of them had taken notice of their team captain who had suddenly paled as he fixed his stare on the screen.

"We shouldn't underestimate our opponents, remember?" Ray looked at the navy haired blader.

"Who cares?" Tyson insisted, "Those idiot dumpsters have no chance against us."

"Shut up Tyson."

The room fell silent. They all turned around...more like whipped around to look at Kai who was now glaring at them.

"What...?" Tyson's mouth dropped open, "Kai, what the hell is your problem? You're yelling at us for those stupid circus freaks?!"

"Stop insulting them." Kai clenched his fists.

"Tyson, maybe you should drop it now." Ray stood from his place.

Tyson ignored him, "Why the hell should I? I'm not the one with a big nose or giant size or freaking face or weird red hair!"

"Tyson, that's mean." Max tried vainly.

"If you don't shut up now, I swear you'll regret to live." Kai shook in anger.

"Alright, that's enough, guys." Ray interrupted them again, "Stop it already. Tyson, don't insult that team, and Kai, please cool down and forgive Tyson."

"Why don't you just say it Kai?" Tyson raised his voice, standing in front of the Russian teen.

Kai's glare had now switched to death glare.

"Why don't you just tell us you were on their side from the beginning? You were never with us Kai. No wonder you betrayed your old buddies."

The last phrase...cost Tyson...an icepack as Kai oh-so-gently punched him.

"Tyson!"

"Kai!"

Max pulled Tyson aside while Ray restrained Kai as the navy haired blader yelled and howled with a rapidly swelling cheek.

"Calm down Kai! You know he's an idiot." Ray readjusted his grip.

The Chinese blader forced the teen to sit on the couch and offered him a glass of water. Kai took a sip, a deep breath and felt slightly normal. But he could feel pain flaring in his head and temples due to the sudden rush and strain.

Ray gently rubbed his shoulder as Kai tried to get his shaking under control and cooled down a bit. He was losing it.

"Ugh! How the hell am I now supposed to pose for the media?!" Tyson kept groaning as Max brought an ice pack.

"It was your own fault Tyson. You hit low." Max replied seriously.

"But why would Kai...punch me for some strangers?!" Tyson whined back.

"You shouldn't have insulted that team, Tyson. Maybe Kai did know them." Max stated, "And besides, there are two days in the match so it'll wear off soon."

Tyson just grumbled an inaudible reply.

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It was a busy day. The fruits of endless training were finally bearing. Mr. Dickenson arrived with a van at the blade breaker's place to get them. Today was a big day.

They were going for a final battle to become world champions. As easy as it sounds, it was much harder.

The tension in the hotel room's air was so thick that you could feel it's taste despite the Russian cold winds. They had arrived here just a day before and were preparing to leave for the beybattle stadium. Tyson had refused to eat breakfast...Max had lost his cheerfulness...Kenny had smacked his head on Dizzy...Ray had dropped a few plates and Kai had spent numerous sleepless and restless nights.

When the old man arrived, tension was clear in his antics as he repeated the rules to the boys he had grown fond of. According to which, they were supposed to battle a random team. Meaning that the super computer system was going to select their opponents. What if it were White tigers?! Or what if it were themselves...or -Tyson added- what if the computer was damaged and couldn't decide?! Or the judges were bribed?!

"Now now boys, have a little faith in yourselves." Mr Dickenson tried to clear away their assumptions, "Just remember your trainings and do your best and I'm sure things will turn out just fine."

"But if we lose...Kai's gonna kill us!" Tyson sent a fearful glance at his captain who was leaning against the wall calmly.

The old man chuckled, "Well let's not dwell on that, Tyson. Instead of these 'ifs' and 'buts' why don't you make up your mind about whether you will win or lose? I believe Kai has trained you all well. All the hard work you did needs to be paid off, right?!"

The team nodded.

"Good! Then get set for action! Show the world what you're made of. I'll be waiting for you at the van." Mr Dickenson's eyes twinkled.

While the old man was leaving, he remembered something, "Kai, my boy...can I have a moment with you?"

"Five minutes for packing." Kai ordered the blade breakers before stepping forward.

The teen followed and found Mr Dickenson by the van.

His questioning gaze made the old man smile, "Now then Kai, I believe there's something you might want to know."

Kai looked at him silently.

"It's about the Russian team. We've gathered some information on them in order to keep records."

Kai felt his shoulders tense.

"Apparently, that team is known as the blitzkrieg boys. Would you have any idea about them?" Mr Dickenson glanced at the quiet boy.

Kai blinked, why did the name rang a bell?! He shook his head reluctantly.

"They've trained under a man named Boris."

Kai's breath hitched at the mentioned name.

Mr Dickenson could feel it too, "Judging by your past which I've kept covered until now and will remain so, those boys are from the abbey too."

Kai swallowed, desperately hoping for his worst fears to be denied.

"According to the standard principle, that team has four members but additionally, no female. However, they're all relatively strong and it is most likely you'll have to wok especially hard to defeat them." Mr Dickenson continued.

Kai fixed his gaze on the ground.

Mr Dickenson tapped the boy's shoulder, "I know you wanted to know about them Kai. And my apologies that this data is not enough...but I believe you boys can do it and perhaps, once we get the evidence, we can put an end to Boris and that abbey as well."

"HEY MR. D! LET'S GO!" Tyson's voice was coming close.

"I trust you to keep those boys in shape, Kai...don't let them lose hope. Good luck." With these final words, Mr. Dickenson's smile slipped back in place as he waved at the remaining huffing and puffing boys, all carrying bags and their luggage.

Once piled up in the indigo van, they were driven to the stadium.

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"WELCOME FOLKS!" DJ Jazz man yelled at the top of his lungs in the mic he had been holding in his right hand, "TODAY IS THE BIG DAY YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!"

The crowd burst into applause.

Brad best and AJ added, "Today, we are going to change the beyblade history! And get to know who's the real champion!"

Faint but not inaudible heavy metal music echoed in the stadium. This band had especially been hired by the beyblade championships staff...and were one of the best musicians in Russia. There had been some interference as a pianist had to be replaced due to his sudden drop in glucose level of his body, resulting in him fainting. He was sent to the hospital a few miles away from the stadium. It wasn't unnatural. So no one took special notice of it as long as they had the desired music.

"NOW THEN...LET'S HAVE AN INTRODUCTION OF OUR TEAMS! FOLLOWING THE LAST MATCHES, WE HAVE...THE BLADEBREAKERS!"

Audience roared with cheers.

"WE HAVE HERE TYSON GRANGER, MAX TATE, REI KON AND THEIR TEAM CAPTAIN...KAI HIWATARI!" Jazz man pointed out as spot lights shone on the teens' faces.

Deafening welcomes were heard from the people.

"AND ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE...COMPUTER!" Jazz man continued.

The listeners sweat-dropped.

Brad best sighed, "We're gonna let the computer decide the blade breaker's opponent team according to new rules."

Aj interfered, "Let's see who beats who and gets to become the world champ!"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE COMPUTER HAS STARTED SHUFFLING AS YOU CAN SEE..." Jazz man stopped abruptly at the team which appeared on the screen, "AND WE HAVE...THE BLITZKRIEG BOYS!"

There was hooting and whistling. However, a certain phoenix wielder forgot to breathe.

"HERE'S SPENCER PETROV...AND BRYAN KUZNETSOV...AND IAN PAPOV...AND THEIR LEADER, TALA IVANOV!"

Barely comprehend-able phrases continued.

"WE GIVE EACH TEAM TWO MINUTES TO PREPARE BEFORE STEPPING UP THE DISH!"

It was a bit quieter now.

"K-Kai?" Max turned towards the Russian teen who was staring at the computer screen as if it had done something wrong...which it probably had.

"Hn?" Kai shifted his gaze.

"What do we do? We need to decide who has to go up against who." Max's blue eyes were wide.

Kai opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself, thinking something he hadn't noticed before.

"Don't panic, guys." Ray patted Max's shoulder, "Let's just try and do our best."

"It's not that easy as it sounds." Tyson grumbled.

"Alright," Kai finally changed his mind, "Ray, you're going for Bryan, Max, take down Ian, Tyson, get Spencer."

"Are you sure you want to go up against Tala?" Amber eyes fixed themselves at Kai.

"I have to." Kai replied quietly before he regained his composure and added confidently, "We...will win...and that's final."

This last phrase was enough to get the other three in gear and they resolved to win.

"Just another thing, who's going first?" Tyson asked again.

"We wait for them." Kai threw a calculating glance at the other team.

He could feel the familiar pain making it's presence known in his head and temples. But this wasn't the time to pay any attention to it. He had to make sure, his team were in spirits and for that, he had to stay strong. He didn't know the other team, Kai told himself, they were complete strangers.

However, he could not stop the flow of memories and flashbacks invading and flooding his mind. A certain group of young kids, laughing...a certain red head, hugging him as he cried...a certain lilac haired boy, supporting him...a certain blonde, tending to his wounds...a certain young boy whom he gave lessons to speak properly, clutching his scarf like a teddy bear...a certain gray building, where he desperately struggled to live... some certain people, who enjoyed torturing him...the cold halls with blood stained walls where he would trudge after his blood had been spilled...

"KAI? YO..."

Kai shuddered at the memories and snapped out of his thoughts at Tyson's voice.

"What's wrong Kai? You just zoned out on us." Ray saw the teen with concern flecking in his eyes.

"I'm fine. Let's go." Kai caught sight of a familiar purple haired figure talking to their opponent team. He involuntarily swallowed and prepared himself.

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When the plan had been explained and instructions given, Boris surveyed the boys in front of him sharply, "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." A red head replied.

"Good. Begin."

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Ian was the first to go. Max took a deep breathe and went up the stage. Within ten minutes, he had won.

Next came Spencer. Tyson huffed and launched his blade. Took him about 15 minutes to gain victory.

Now was Bryan's turn. Kai eyed a certain red head warily who was listening to the purple haired nightmare and glanced at his own team.

It took Ray a little longer but he didn't give Bryan a chance to call out his bitbeast and defeated him in half an hour.

Now...was the final strike...the final blow...the last battle...which would either give them a reason for existing...or cost Kai, his life.

Kai Alexander Hiwatari...versus...Tala Ivanov.

_**Personally, I think this chap is most well written than others. R&R peeps! And just for fun, peeps...next chap will have...ahem...ANGST and...ACTION! Whichever you prefer to read, stay tuned and REVIEW to know what happens!**_

_**Rose out!**_

_**Until next time! :)**_


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